1. Desmoplastic Melanoma
Briley White
Maja Chelstowska

2. Description
Desmoplastic Melanoma is a subtype cutaneous spindle cell melanoma commonly found on sun damaged skin discovered usually on the head or neck of older individuals but in some cases young adults too. DM is a very unique and rare but harmful disorder, and is a form of malignant melanoma (cancerous). Many tumors can lack pigmentation but some can turn black, red, or a white color. It has an abundance of fibrous matrix and is an uncommon form of skin cancer.

3. Signs and Symptoms
Rapid growth of irregular shaped pigmented area on the skin
Firm scar
Larger than 6mm
A lesion that is blue or black
The skin may lose its elasticity and textural quality: hair loss
Bleeding and itching lesion

4. Causes
The development of malignant pigment cells (melanocytes) within dermis
UV radiation causes damage to DNA, which can cause overgrowth to cell and division then will turn off the genes that check on cell growth and division which makes them cancerous
With inherited melanomas, gene mutations are passed down and can be dangerous or cancerous
Fair skin that burns easily
Increasing age
Diagnosed with melanoma in the past

5. Cure
Surgery- excision of the tumor with non cancerous skin, the thickness of melanoma determines how much skin is needed
Chemotherapy- drugs are used to kill the tumor cell, but can have negative side effects such as hair loss, loss of appetite, and dependence on the drug being used
Immunotherapy- stimulates the immune system, synthetic immune and proteins to help the immune system
Targeted therapy- drugs used to target differences in melanoma cells and regular cells
Radiation therapy- high energy beams to kill cancer cells, this isn’t necessarily a cure but it does help with symptoms
Biopsy- if the skin lesion is suspicious of desmoplastic melanoma, it should be urgently cut out
Dermoscopy- distinguishing desmoplastic melanoma from other skin lesions
If it isn’t noticed fast enough and it spreads to other organs it’s almost impossible to cure

6. Worst Case Scenario
If Desmoplastic Melanoma goes untreated the melanocytes will spread throughout lymph nodes and blood vessel. The cancerous cells will at some point come in contact with the brain and vital organs. The person with DM can pass away due to the distribution of melanocytosis.

7. Facts 1-4% of all melanomas are desmoplastic
The age range many people get DM is with an average age of 62
Male predominance is 7:4 to females
Desmoplastic Melanoma on arms and legs are more common in females, and head and neck are more common in males
Melanoma kills an estimated 9,320 people in the U.S., 5,990 men and 3,330 women

8. Sources https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/desmoplastic-melanoma/

9. Picture Sources https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4703041/