How is melanoma diagnosed?

When you find a suspicious mole on your body, you make an appointment with a dermatologist to have the mole examined. If the dermatologist deems it necessary to remove the mole (skin biopsy), the biopsy is then sent to a dermatopathologist for evaluation.

Dermatopathologists are highly trained physicians who specialize in diagnosing skin disorders under a microscope. The dermatopathologist examines the biopsy and reports the diagnosis to your dermatologist.

When would myPath® Melanoma be used?

Occasionally, the current techniques do not allow doctors to definitively determine whether a mole on your skin is cancerous (melanoma) or not. The myPath® Melanoma test can help doctors make this distinction by providing additional analysis of the mole at the genetic level.

If a dermatopathologist orders myPath Melanoma, he or she will interpret the myPath Melanoma test result along with the information obtained by examining the mole under the microscope to provide a final diagnosis.

You find a suspicious mole

Your Dermatologist removes the mole

Your Dermatologist sends the mole to a Dermatopathologist for examination and diagnosis

The Dermatopathologist assigns a diagnosis in a pathology report

Your Dermatologist discusses treatment options with you for the mole, based on the pathology report