At Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center, our doctors and researchers are dedicated to exceptional care for people with melanoma. Our specialist team at the Tara Miller Melanoma Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to your care. We deliver customized treatment and services to help prevent, diagnose and treat all types of melanoma and other skin cancers.

The Tara Miller Melanoma Center Advantage for Melanoma Care

Our program offers:

• Nationally recognized cancer experts: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has recognized the Tara Miller Melanoma Center as outstanding. Earning the NCI's highest rating for cancer research shows our commitment to bringing new discoveries directly to your care.
• Latest advances in diagnostics: We perform a complete evaluation, using the most advanced diagnostic testing for melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Our goal is to find cancers as early as possible, when they're the most treatable. Learn more about melanoma diagnosis.
• Comprehensive treatment options: Our specialists have experience treating even the rarest and most complex forms of melanoma. Through our research experience, we've developed expertise with the latest treatments, many of which can provide a cure. Find out more about our melanoma treatments.
• Strong focus on patient education: Your care team shows you ways to lower your risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers. We monitor you regularly, especially if you have risk factors such as a family history of skin cancer. Read about melanoma risks and prevention.

Expert Team of Melanoma Specialists

Your care team works closely together to provide the highest level of care, bringing together our expertise in a wide range of specialties. Our multidisciplinary team includes specialists in:

• Dermatology and dermatology oncology
• Medical oncology
• Surgery, including plastic surgery and surgical oncology
• Radiation oncology
• Head and neck cancer and melanoma
• Pathology and dermatopathology
• Psychosocial oncology, including social workers

Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Melanoma

Learn the differences between immunotherapy and targeted therapy, two key melanoma treatments. 

Melanomas Treated at the Tara Miller Melanoma Center

Melanoma most often develops in the skin, called melanoma skin cancer. It can occur in uncommon places such as the scalp, nail beds or foot soles. Our experienced specialists diagnose and treat other types of melanoma such as:

• Ocular melanoma
• Mucosal melanoma

We also diagnose and treat other types of skin cancer, including:

• Basal cell carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Merkel cell carcinoma

Treatments and Services at the Tara Miller Melanoma Center

We tailor a treatment plan for you, based on your genetic makeup, family history and medical history. You may need one or more melanoma treatments, which include:

• Melanoma surgery, including Mohs micrographic surgery
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Radiation therapy, including proton therapy
• Chemotherapy

If you've received a diagnosis of melanoma and would like to understand all your options, our team provides second opinions. We also offer a wide range of patient and family support services that can help your family navigate the cancer treatment journey.

A Premier Melanoma Research Program

At the Tara Miller Melanoma Center Research Program, our researchers are dedicated to preventing, diagnosing and treating melanoma. We continuously seek ways to not only improve care for people with melanoma, but also provide cures. In melanoma clinical trials, we develop and test prevention, detection and treatment strategies including:

• Understanding what factors increase your risk for melanoma, especially genetic risk factors
• Determining your risk for melanoma to help guide treatment decisions
• Finding newer and better ways to predict outcomes by studying current melanoma staging systems (determining tumor size, location and spread)
• Studying ways to determine predictors of positive sentinel lymph node biopsy results in people with thin melanomas
• Collaborating with other centers for clinical trials to bring targeted therapies to large, national, phase 3 status

The NCI has rated us as outstanding, the highest possible rating for a cancer research program.

This recognition shows our excellence in:

• Overall program quality
• Representation of multiple scientific disciplines for broad input
• Translation of new findings to the clinical setting
• Conduct of clinical trials
• Researcher collaboration
• Caliber of program members and leadership

We have ongoing clinical trials to explore new melanoma treatments, with a focus on advanced melanoma (cancer that has spread). Our trials are based on research findings from our lab and clinical investigators (doctors who lead research).

Request an Appointment

Call 800-789-7366 to schedule an appointment with one of our melanoma experts. You can also request an appointment using our online form.