What’s the Difference Between Nodular and Superficial Spreading Melanoma?
Source: Health Central, May 2023
When people talk about melanoma, they don’t usually specify which type of melanoma they’re referring to. You may not even have known there were multiple types until you read that last sentence.
In fact, there are multiple kinds of melanoma, depending on how and where it likes to grow: the skin, eyes, palms, soles of the feet, and even the mucous membranes. Of all the types, superficial spreading melanoma is the most prevalent, while nodular melanoma is the second-most common—and one of the most aggressive. As if that isn’t enough, it’s pretty darn good at evading detection, too.
“People look for dark spots on the skin that look funky in comparison to other moles, but nodular melanomas can come on as a lump under the skin,” explains Lauren Taglia, M.D., Ph.D., a dermatologist at Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group in Naperville, IL.