What’s the Difference Between Melanoma and Skin Cancer?

Source: Dana-Farber, January 2020

Melanoma is not a different disease from skin cancer. It is, rather, a form of skin cancer.

Of the three major forms of skin cancer, melanoma is the rarest but also the most aggressive. It is diagnosed in more than 96,000 people in the United States each year, and patients generally have a good prognosis if it is detected and treated early, before it has a chance to spread to other parts of the body.

Melanoma arises in skin cells known as melanocytes, which make the pigment melanin and give skin its color. These cells are found in the deepest part of the epidermis (the top layer of skin).