A 30-year-old member asked:
Can you please tell me how melanoma and malignant melanoma differ?
4 doctor answers • 12 doctors weighed in
Dr. Otto Placikanswered
Surgery - Plastics 35 years experience
No difference: These are equivalent terms because there is no such thing as a benign melanoma!
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Thomas Fialaanswered
Plastic Surgery 34 years experience
Same thing: ...Just one is shorter to say. There's no such thing as a "benign melanoma", for example.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Travis Kidneranswered
Surgical Oncology 18 years experience
The same: Melanoma is be a malignant tumor. Sometimes people only refer to it as melanoma and other times as malignant melanoma. They are the same entity.
3.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A Verified Doctoranswered
Surgical Oncology 19 years experience
Depth: Generally these terms are used interchangeably, but there is one exception. This is for melanoma in-situ which is very early stage and termed pre-invasive. If neglected melanoma in situ will grow and become malignant.
3.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Mar 1, 2021
People also asked
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
24/7 visits - just $39!
50% off with $15/month membership
Disclaimer:
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.