Melanoma is less common than other skin cancers. It is more serious and more likely to grow and spread if not diagnosed and treated early. Melanocytes, the pigment-making cells of the skin, can create melanomas and non-cancerous moles. Melanoma can also affect the eye and eyelid. See related eye cancers for more information.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC): Merkel cell carcinoma is an uncommon type that may grow quickly and be more challenging to treat if it spreads beyond the skin. These cells are close to nerve endings and they share some features with nerve cells and hormone-making cells.
Why Choose Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center?
One of only 71 NCI-designated cancer centers in the United States. Sylvester is one of only two cancer centers in Florida that have been recognized by the National Cancer Institute. The team earned this distinction through its outstanding work conducting research in its laboratories, treating patients in its clinics and hospitals, and reaching out to medically underserved communities with innovative prevention strategies.
World class melanoma surveillance and detection clinic. Earlier detection options and more accurate diagnoses helps us identify melanoma when it is most treatable.
Immunotherapy clinical trials. You’ll have access to the most advanced treatment options in South Florida.
One of the few institutions to offer reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). RCM is able to differentiate between melanoma and other less serious or benign skin lesions to provide an accurate diagnosis. It gives high magnification images of the skin, enabling more accurate diagnosis of lesions that are not entirely defined on clinical examination and dermoscopy.
Advanced expertise in immunohistochemistry and tumor markers. Our expert pathologists make more accurate diagnoses. When pathologists can make the call on the aggressiveness of the tumor, treatment can be more appropriately recommended.