A Melanoma Expert’s Best Advice on How to Beat It

Dr. Wang examines a patient’s lesion with digital dermoscopy.

In his latest book, Steven Q. Wang, MD, provides the ultimate guide on how to navigate, survive and thrive with this serious type of skin cancer.

When your doctor says the words, “You have melanoma,” what comes next can be a blur. Your mind starts to race with all the “what-ifs,” as your doctor discusses your treatment options and names additional doctors you’ll need to see. You may not even be listening. It’s a lot to absorb all at once, so it’s not uncommon to get home and think, “Wait! I forgot to ask about [insert one of your many questions here].” Now what?

That’s where the book Beating Melanoma: The Ultimate Patient Resource (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) can help. Written by renowned skin cancer expert Steven Q. Wang, MD, director of dermatologic oncology at Hoag Family Cancer Institute in Newport Beach, California, and chair of The Skin Cancer Foundation Photobiology Committee, it’s like having access to a top skin cancer doctor who will walk you through your melanoma journey from diagnosis to post-treatment. “Wouldn’t it be great if you could consult with an expert who will translate the medical terms and guide you through the process? That’s what this book is about,” says Dr. Wang.

Life’s Work — in Progress

“When I started working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City in 2011, I saw many melanoma patients — and most of them were terrified, confused and didn’t know what to do,” says Dr. Wang. “Meanwhile, survival is excellent for most melanomas when caught early.”

Nevertheless, fear of recurrence is high, even among patients with the earliest stages of the disease, according to a survey in JAMA Dermatology in 2024. About 75 percent of the respondents said this fear affected their psychological well-being, even if their melanoma was stage 0. Dr. Wang heard this from his patients, too. He saw an opportunity to provide streamlined information that would empower people to make the best decisions for their treatment and beyond.

The book is a second edition (the first was published in 2011). “I decided to update Beating Melanoma because treatments have advanced so much, especially for stages III and IV,” he says. “Also, after seeing patients for more than a decade, I have gained new insights.” His new edition taps into other resources, too. Dr. Wang interviewed 25 world-renowned melanoma experts from top institutions, including dermatologists, geneticists, and surgical, medical and radiation oncologists. This edition also contains QR codes that take readers to video interviews with skin cancer experts discussing more complex and nuanced topics.

Beating Melanoma has five sections, or five steps, as Dr. Wang calls them, that will take you from the consultation process to life after treatment. But he says the book can really be divided into two phases: the “mad rush” and “the marathon.” The “mad rush” phase occurs with diagnosis: You’re in a rush to gather all the information you need, from understanding your pathology report and prognosis to finding the right clinical experts. “During this phase, people tend to read everything they can online, which can be confusing (and scary). And often, the information provided isn’t appropriate for that individual,” he explains. His book aims to simplify the info and present it in a way that allows the reader to customize it to their own stage and situation.

“The ‘marathon’ phase comes once you go through treatment,” he says. “You will inevitably have questions, doubts, concerns.” The chapters in this phase include help to navigate medical follow-ups, spot new melanomas, prevent future melanomas, understand familial risk and explore the latest innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and gene expression profiling (GEP) that may help someone with a higher risk of developing melanoma.

A Positive Note

Melanoma is the deadliest of the three main types of skin cancer, but its title, Beating Melanoma, sends a positive message about the disease. “Often, when someone has early melanoma, they will jump online and read that there is no cure for melanoma or that a lot of people die. But that’s not true for someone who needs a simple excision,” he says. Dr. Wang also stresses that the majority of melanomas are caught early when the five-year survival rate is as high as 99 percent. “The treatment is simple and encouraging.” And for those diagnosed with a more advanced stage, there are more options now. “With the advent of new immunotherapies and medical science, we have many more tools in the arsenal to save you — and that’s a very uplifting message.”

Dr. Wang is equally excited to talk about preventing melanoma: “The book covers topics such as how to detect all types of skin cancer early (not just melanoma) and dispels myths about sunscreen and photoprotection.”

“Knowledge is power,” Dr. Wang explains. When someone is diagnosed with any illness, especially cancer, the natural tendency is fear, and that can leave them feeling paralyzed. “But knowledge can guide you through it.”