melanoma

American  

[mel-uh-noh-muh] / ˌmɛl əˈnoʊ mə /

noun

melanomas, plural melanomata plural

1. any of several types of skin tumors characterized by the malignant growth of melanocytes.

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melanoma British  

/ ˌmɛləˈnəʊmə /

noun

1. pathol a malignant tumour composed of melanocytes, occurring esp in the skin, often as a result of excessive exposure to sunlight

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melanoma Scientific  

/ mĕl′ə-nō′mə /

melanomas plural

1. A dark-pigmented benign or malignant tumor that arises from a melanocyte and occurs most commonly in the skin. Malignant melanoma metastasizes quickly and is associated with sun exposure.

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melanoma Cultural  

1. A serious, often lethal, form of skin cancer.

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Discover More

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (for example, by too much sunbathing) can cause this disease.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• melanomas
  plural
• melanomata
  plural

Etymology

Origin of melanoma

First recorded in 1825–35; melan- + -oma

Explanation

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It's important to wear sunblock and protective clothing to protect your skin and prevent melanoma. Melanoma is used for the disease itself and also an individual tumor on the skin. A melanoma often starts as a mole that grows larger or becomes irregular in shape or color. Melanoma is dangerous and fast-spreading, so it's important for people to consult a doctor if they think they have a melanoma. The medical suffix -oma, often used for tumors or growths, is added to the Greek melas, "black."

Example Sentences

Their work on advanced melanoma - once a death sentence - has saved countless lives, and their encouraging findings in treating Scolyer's brain tumour have triggered an early stage clinical trial in the US.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

As co-directors of the Melanoma Institute Australia, over the past decade the pair's research on immunotherapy, which uses the body's immune system to attack cancer cells, has dramatically improved outcomes for advanced melanoma patients globally.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

When researchers removed γδ T cells from young and very old mice, melanoma spread increased significantly.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

More than half of patients with metastatic melanoma will stop responding to approved immunotherapies, after which most won’t live much more than a year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

“Combining the melanoma cells with healthy rat skin cells to see if we can replicate the kind of alteration in the subject’s anatomy.”

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste