Literature Review On Skin Cancer

     Distinguishing melanoma may seem hard to do, but is not so once a person is informed on what they should be looking for. They may appear similar to moles, and may be blue or black in color. Though they will usually lack the symmetry and border regularity of a common mole, and may have variance in their coloring. Melanomas can either appear suddenly, or develop slowly near a preexisting mole. In rare cases, melanomas may form on top of previously formed moles or birthmarks, but will also come with the effects of pain, itching, or bleeding. These moles may begin to exhibit new and/or strange characteristics such as

Unlike other cancers which we can develop, melanoma can often be detected on the skin which allows doctors to treat it at its early stages resulting in less complications and lower death rates to patients, again if left undetected at its early stages this can easily spread to distant areas and distant organs. Once melanoma has spread to other areas of the body which is classified as stage IV it is diagnosed as

The problem studied is common to practice and it is stated that the incidence of melanoma has increased rapidly in the United States. This study aims at examining routine skin cancer screenings. Routine skin cancer screenings by a primary care provider are feasible, particularly if the routine skin cancer screenings are performed on patients determined to have increased risk factors associated with developing skin cancer.

The submitted records have been reviewed. The member is an adult female with a birth date of 07/01/1987. She has a diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma. Her treating provider, Semyon Zarkhin, MD recommended DecisionDX Melanoma testing, which was performed on 11/23/2015.

It is usually caused by intense exposure from ultraviolet radiation such as sun or tanning beds. Melanoma is when damaged DNA from this high exposure triggers mutations in the body that leads to the intense multiplication of cancerous cells. Melanoma cancer can look almost like a mole and can range from skin colored to black or brown in color. If caught and treated early it is curable, however if not caught early it can spread into the body and cause other cancerous cells or death. There are four types of melanoma skin cancers: superficial spreading melanoma, lentigo maligna, acral lentiginous melanoma and nodular melanoma. Superficial spreading melanoma is the most common and is usually seen in young people, but in all ages as well. It is known for growing along the epidermis for a long period of time before penetrating into the skin. This can also be found almost anywhere on the body but usually for men on their upper bodies and for females on their legs but also upper bodies. Lentigo maligna is known for its appearance for can look similar to a tan or dark discoloration. It is usually found in the elderly population and is the most common in areas of Hawaii. It is found on the upper body, arms, facial area and ears. Acral lentiginous melanoma is known for its appearance under the nails, palms of the hands or feet as a dark discoloration. It is mostly common in Asian and African-American cultures and can

Other factors that a person experiencing melanoma should pay attention to is if this condition is hereditary, having many moles over the number of 50, a frail immune system, and light pigmented skin. To discover if you have melanoma there are a series of skin test that can be taken before diagnosis. Diagnosing melanoma consists of taking biopsies of the skins that are among three different types; punch, excisional, and incisional. All three of these including removing parts of the skin and the mole for an analysis. Like most cancer, it comes in stages of severity; four being the most severe. Melanoma occurs through four stages and the final stages implies that the melanoma has reached the internal organs such as the lungs or the liver.

Discuss the different types of skin cancer, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment options and preventative measures.

Acral Lentiginous Melanoma or ALM is a rare subtype of melanoma that occurs more often in people of color. It accounts for 2 to 3 percent of the all of the world’s cases of melanoma (Bradford). Dr. R. J. Reed in 1976 was the first to describe it as the appearance of dark lesions on the hands and feet. Radial or lentiginous was the main phase of its growth that lasts several years then it changes into a vertical or dermal invasive stage (Bradford). Several universities have released results on tests on ALM but since it is rare it was difficult for the research groups to get solid information because of small sample sizes. Nonetheless, studies by scientists such as Dr. R. J. Reed we able to determine that the survival rate for three years with the melanoma was on average at 11% (Bradford).

The care of patients who have cutaneous melanoma (CM) has undergone a dramatic shift during the past 5 decades. Excision of pre-metastatic; CM has been the overriding goal. because once distant metastases have occurred. prognosis is dismal. Skin awareness and self-examination by patients. screening examinations of the skin, nails, and mucous membranes by physicians, and careful long-term Surveillance of patients determined in be al high risk for CM 'based on identifiable historic and phenotypic traits are having an immediate positive impact on CM. related mortality and CM-related case. fatality rate.

Melanoma is a rare and serious. It begins in the skin and can spread to other organs in the body.

Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer, causing up to 75% cancer-related deaths and is usually occurs due to exposure to UV rays of the sun. The chances are increased with sunburn episodes especially during childhood. It developed from the pigment cells known as melanocytes, a layer of cells producing melanin which protects against the damaging rays of the sun. Sometimes, these pigment cells increase in size and become cancerous melanoma. It didn’t show any particular symptoms, however, it is related to the changes associated with moles, gives ‘ABCDE’ warning signs i.e. Asymmetry, irregular Border, uneven Colour, Diameter, evolution.

There are three forms of skin cancer, distinguished from one another by the appearance of their lesions ( tissue injury) starting with

Uveal melanoma can often be diagnosed by indirect ophthalmoscopy, which may show a round mass under the retina (Kashyap, 2016). Iris and ciliary body melanoma can also be diagnosed by visualizing the anterior chamber with a slit-lamp and gonioscopy (Kaliki, 2016.) Ultrasonography can be used to diagnose larger and posterior lesions (Kashyap, 2016). Additionally, various dimensions of the melanoma can also be analyzed by fluorescein angiography, MRI, CT or by biopsy (Kashyap, 2016).

Thesis: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States but is highly curable if detected early and treated properly.

The study entitled “Cellular and Molecular Biology of Human Melanoma, Cancer Biology & Therapy” was conducted as a scientific review (K. Satyamoorthy & M. Herlyn, 2002). This was done by gathering 42 references that were related in the cellular/molecular physiology of human melanoma (K. Satyamoorthy & M. Herlyn, 2002). The study entitled “Biopsychosocial studies on cutaneous malignant melanoma: Psychosocial factors Associate with Prognostic Indicators, Progression, Psychophysiology and Tumor-Host Response” utilized a series of seven studies that investigated the biopsychosocial aspects of cutaneous malignant melanoma that were