Melanom The Most Dangerous Form Of 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

Skin cancer is a condition where cancerous cells form in the epidermis. The epidermis is the first layer of your skin. Melanoma can be on any part of the body (Egan 23-24). This form of skin cancer can be treated in the early stages of formation. Basal cell cancer is one of the most common types of skin cancer, this cancer may also happen on the sun exposed skin and on the face (Egan 10).Squamous cells are the second most common form of skin cancer. Squamous cells form on sun exposed skin (Egan 11). For example, it could potentially form on the shoulders, neck, or hands (Egan 10-11). Each stage of skin cancer may vary depending on the person.

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

Although there are several types of skin cancer, the most aggressive form is melanoma. This cancer of the skin involves mass replication of the pigment producing melanocyte cells, which are located in the epidermis, below the basal layer. There are several factors involved with the onset of melanoma including, exposure to ultraviolet rays, genetic predisposition, numerous nevi (moles), immunosuppression, and environmental exposure to carcinogens.

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

Melanoma being the austere form of skin cancer which can be fatal in most cases. Mayo Clinic’s article on the diseases and conditions of melanoma gives good clarity as to what is actually occurring, and how it forms. The article states that what causes melanoma is unclear and hasn’t been discovered but what takes place is the melanocytes that generate melanin cells is agitated by unknown causes which results in the change in pigmentation of the skin or a change in a current mole already present on the skin. Strategies that can help you detect the symptoms of melanoma consist of the letters “A- E meaning A: asymmetrical shape regarding moles, B: irregular boarders, C: change in color, D: diameter, and E: evolving” (Mayo Clinic Staff 2016) Melanoma can appear not only on the skin but underneath a person’s nail, it can affect their eyesight and rarely their internal organs such as the mouth, urinary tract, and digestive tract called mucosal melanoma. These are noted to be hidden

"The rates of skin cancer have expanded consistently since the 1920s uncovers the risk of the American fixation on getting a "solid" tan. Skin tumor is an infection where growth (harmful) cells are found on the external layer of the skin (epidermis). The three sorts of cells found in the epidermis are squamous cells, basal cells, and melanocytes. These cells in time develop to be carcinogenic. Consequently, the three sorts of skin tumors are squamous cell, basal cell, and melanoma. Melanoma is the deadliest and dangerous kind of growth. The quantity of individuals with melanoma has ascended in Scotland from 3.5 in 1979 to 10.6 for each 100,000 in 1998 for men and 7.0 to 13.1 for ladies. (Mill operator 945) Squamous cell and Basal cell skin

The American Society of Clinical Oncology explains that Familial melanoma is a genetic or inherited condition where the risk of melanoma can be passed from generation to generation (ASCO). Therefore, if both of your parents are at risk for melanoma, you automatically are too. They go on to state that familial melanoma also refers to families in which two or more first-degree relatives have melanoma (ASCO). When a type of melanoma is referred to as familial melanoma, know that this means someone has a risk or has developed melanoma because of their genetic relations to someone with the risk or with melanoma. The American Society of Clinical Oncology explains this gene mutation by stating, “a parent with a gene mutation may pass along a copy of his or her normal gene or a copy of the gene with the mutation. Therefore, a child who has a parent with a mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting that mutation. A brother, sister, or parent of a person who has a mutation also has a 50% chance of having the same mutation” (ASCO). Parents with the melanoma gene mutation have a 50% chance of giving it to their child, if the child does receive this mutation, they too, have a 50% chance of passing it to their offspring. However, in recent years, studies have made it possible for parents carrying this gene to not pass it on to their children. Scientists discovered a

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.

A melanoma is a fatal form of skin cancer tumor of the melanocyte a melanin-producing cell in the skin. Melanoma is likely to occur to people with lighter skin color. Most melanoma seems like a regular mole but it has an uneven border. Melanoma may be inherited and it increases when you are exposed to too much sunlight or have sunburn.1 We can tell the difference between melanoma and a normal mole by the mnemonic ABCDE: A stands for asymmetry, B stands for border irregularity, C stands for color variation, D is for diameter, and E is for evolution.2 If we use the acronym ABCDE, then we can identify the melanoma more easily.

There has been cases where places on your body that don't receive exposure to sunlight has been diagnosed with melanoma. The damage of skin may take place in the few years before the start of the cancer. Children and young adults often get sun exposure that might not result in cancer until many years later. The epidemiology of melanoma is diagnosed at 70 percent of curable stages. However, if melanoma is diagnosed later, the patient has a decreased chance of living. An estimated incidence rate of melanoma has been 3–7% per year for Caucasians. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in men and the seventh in women. The pathogenesis of this disease is a neoplasm of melanocytes or a neoplasm of the cells that develop from melanocytes. The treatment for melanoma can be done in stages. Stage zero is a surgery to remove the area of abnormal cells and a small amount of normal tissue around it. Next, stage one of the treatment is having surgery to remove the tumor and some of the normal tissue around it. Stage two of treatment finding the lymph nodes and taking a biopsy. If cancer is found in the sentinel lymph node, a second surgery would need to be carried out to remove more nearby lymph nodes. Then, for stage three, a doctor may take skin grafts to cover the

Once the melanoma’s type has been recognised the next step is to classify them based on their respective severity. This classification is known as the stage. Each stage defines how far the melanoma has penetrated inside the skin and the thickness of the malignant moles and the spreading of the disease. The stage is used to determine the kind of treatment used to diagnose the patient.

Melanoma skin cancer is a very fast moving cancer and it spreads throughout the body, unlike non melanoma skin cancers. Melanoma has four different stages and the survival rate is different for each stage. The survival rate for stage one melanoma is ninety seven percent, but the survival rate for stage two melanoma is eighty one percent. The survival rate for stage three melanoma is seventy eight percent to fifty nine percent, and the survival rate for stage four melanoma is fifteen to twenty percent (“American Cancer Society”). African Americans are not prone to Melanoma skin cancer; However, when African Americans do develop Melanoma skin cancer, those individuals tend to have a shorter survival rate. Non melanoma skin cancers, such as Basal Cell Carcinoma, have a higher survival rate. “More than almost 90 out of every 100 people (90%) with basal cell skin cancer are cured” and “about 90 out of every 100 people with squamous cell skin cancer are cured” (“Skin Cancer”). Basal Cell Carcinoma are growths that appear from basal cells. Basal cell carcinoma, unlike Melanoma skin cancer, does not spread throughout the body. Squamous cell carcinoma are not only growths that appear from the squamous cells, but also are rarely ever deadly; however, it can be deadly, if it is left to continuously grow. The survival rates for skin cancer can affect an individual's life in many

A melanocyte is a pigment producing cell in the skin, hair and eye that determines their color. This pigment they make is called Melanin. This is the most serious type of skin cancer because it can spread throughout the body quickly. Melanoma most often appears on the face, upper body, and the legs. Melanoma usually grows from existing moles, but it can also develop on normal skin. Moles that have melanoma might also bleed and it can resemble scores that do not heal. Usually, the first sign of melanoma is a change in size. Shape, color, or feel of an already existing mole. Most cases of melanoma have a black or blue-black area. Melanoma also may appear as a new mole, that may be black, abnormal, or ugly looking. Some methods used to treat basal cell carcinomas are curettage and desiccation, surgical excision, radiation therapy, cryosurgery, mohs micrographic surgery, and medical therapy using creams. Curettage and desiccation consists of scooping out the basal cell carcinoma by using a spoon like instrument called a curette. Desiccation is the additional application of an electric current to control bleeding and kill the remaining cancer cells. The skin heals without stitching. In a surgical excision the tumor is cut out and stitched up. Doctors often use radiation treatments for skin cancer occurring in areas that are difficult to treat with surgery. Cryosurgery achieves good results by freezing basal cell

Squamous cell carcinoma is second most common type of skin cancer, after basal cell carcinoma. Squamous cell cancer spreads faster than basal cell cancer, but still is usually relatively slow-growing. It can spread (metastasize) to other locations, including internal organs.