Melanoma in India: why the messaging needs to change to catch it early

Thousands of patients in India are diagnosed with melanoma, a type of skin cancer, each year. While melanoma is far less common here than in Western populations, it is far from rare and the way it presents in our patient population makes it uniquely difficult to detect early. Too many patients come to us when the disease is already advanced , precisely at a time when treatment options have never been more powerful or more personalised. This contrast between available therapies and the stage at which patients are diagnosed defines one of the most pressing challenges in melanoma care in India today.

The warning signs most people associate with skin cancer come from research developed for fairer-skinned populations, where melanoma tends to appear on sun-exposed areas as an irregular or darkening mole. That picture does not reflect what clinicians see in India.