The desire to escape the mundane British rain has meant that rates of melanoma skin cancer have soared.

According to Cancer Research UK, the number of skin cancer cases have increased by 45 per cent over the past decade.

So how can you spot melanoma and when should you go to your doctor about a mole that might be bothering you?

According to the American Cancer Society there is an easy acronym that could save your life.

And it's as easy as 'ABCDE'.

Superficial spreading melanoma

Asymetry

Is your mole or birthmark symmetrical?

If one part doesn't match the other this could be a sign to get it checked out.

Border

If the edges are irregular, ragged, notched or blurred this could be a sign of a cancerous mole.

Many doctors also recommend that you check your own skin about once a month

Colour

If the colour is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, sometimes with patches of pink, red, white or blue - this could be melanoma.

Diameter

If the spot is larger than quarter of an inch across, which is about the size of a pencil eraser it would be worth getting it checked out.

It is worth noting however, that melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.

Evolving

This is one you may have heard of before, but if the skin growth is changing in size, shape or colour - get it looked at.

Large brown mole on human skin

What is melanoma?

Melanoma is a tumor of melanin-forming cells, especially a malignant tumor associated with skin cancer.

They can appear anywhere on the body.

Changes to the skin can also be a sign of cancer

Signs and symptoms of melanoma

On the NHS website, they write: "The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole. This can occur anywhere on the body, but the most commonly affected areas are the back in men and the legs in women.

"Melanomas are uncommon in areas which are protected from sun exposure, such as the buttocks and the scalp.

"In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than one colour.

"The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed. Look out for a mole which changes progressively in shape, size and/or colour."

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What are the survival rates for melanoma?

In England as a whole, one-year survival estimates were above 75 per cent and five-year survival estimates were above 50 per cent for the majority of cancer types.

The exemptions were lung, oesophagus, stomach and bladder in women and persons for one-year and women for five-year.

Across England, adults diagnosed at stage 1 with either melanoma of  the skin, prostate or breast (women only) cancer have the same chance of surviving one-year after diagnosis as an individual in the general population.

Melanoma of the skin had the highest one-year survival rate in both men (97.4 per cent) and women (98.6 per cent) and five-year survival in both men (89.2 per cent) and women (93.9 per cent).

Skin cancer rates have gone up since we've started taking more holidays

What is the first sign on melanoma?

The first sign of melanoma is typically a new spot on the skin, or a change in the size, shape or color of an existing mole.

What are the four main types of skin melanoma?

According to Macmillan Cancer support, there are four main types of skin melanoma.

  1. Superficial spreading melanoma is the most common type. It is more commonly found on the arms, legs, chest and back
  2. Nodular melanoma is the second most common type
  3. Lentigo maligna melanoma is less common
  4. Acral lentiginous melanoma is the rarest type

How serious is melanoma?

If melanoma is recognised and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal.

While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths.

Always make sure to protect your skin out in the sun even if the sun does not seem that strong

How can you prevent melanoma?

Melanoma isn't always preventable, but you can reduce your chances of developing it by avoiding getting sunburned (even going pink in the sun).

Most people get burnt while abroad on holiday or in the UK in the summer while doing outdoor activities, such as gardening, sunbathing or playing cricket.

On these occasions you need to be really careful, particularly if you have pale skin and many moles. You can help protect yourself from sun damage by using sunscreen and dressing sensibly in the sun. Sunbeds and sunlamps should be avoided.

Regularly  checking your skin  can help lead to an early diagnosis and increase your chances of successful treatment.

Read more about  sunscreen and sun safety .

You can learn more about skin cancer/melanoma on the NHS website here.

Please note: This is just a guide, if you are unsure or worried at all about your health visit your local GP, or call NHS Direct on 111.