Melanoma And 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

Any type of change size, color, or shape of a mole is an important warning sign. For weeks or months, watch the changes that occur. The ABCDE rule is a helpful rule to estimate skin changes. A is asymmetry. If one half of a mole does not match the other have there is no symmetry. B is border irregularity. Jagged, uneven, or blurred edges of a mole should catch your attention. C is color. Changes in the mole color, particularly from the edge of the mole to the middle. D is for the diameter. If the mole is larger than 6mm the mole should be of concern. E is evolution. Changes in the surface size and shape, as well as itching or tenderness should be observed. Often time’s melanoma is developed in unmarked skin, but can also develop in existing moles or birthmarks (“Melanoma and Skin Cancer Symptoms”). Skin examinations should be an often routine provided by a doctor. Any notice of suspicious signs, see a health care provider as quick as possible. Examinations by a dermatologist are a potential way to see if you have developed skin cancer. If during the examination skin cancer is suspected a biopsy will probably be the next process (Knight).

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.

Melanoma is a dangerous invasive cancer which starts in melanin producing cells (melanocytes) usually located at the bottom of the skins epidermal layer. Although certain individuals have a genetic propensity for melanoma, it is usually triggered by excessive UV exposure from sunlight or tanning beds (Mayo Clinic, 2016a). At early stages it is relatively easy to treat, however, recurrences are common. At later stages melanoma treatments are less effective since it tends to metastasize and spread easily through the lymphatic system (Mayo Clinic, 2016a).. The root cause of malignant melanoma is due to mutations in the p53 gene protein which invariably leads to further mutations.

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

Melanoma is a malignant condition arising from melanocytes in the basal layer of the skin. Melanocytes are the cells that produce melanin, which gives skin its pigmentation and shields the deeper layers of skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation. When skin is exposed to ultraviolet radiation, melanocytes increase their production of melanin, which generates darker pigmentation of the skin. Ultraviolet radiation stimulates malignant changes within the melanocytes by mutating DNA, stimulating cutaneous growth factors, decreases immune defenses, and promotes species of melanin that cause DNA impairment and suppress apoptosis. The abnormalities caused by ultraviolet radiation in the melanocytes predispose it to

Melinoma grows vry quickly and it can become life threatning as a matter of six weeks if this is untreated by a doctor. Sometimes it can appear on our skin that is not exposed to sunlight. For this cancer it can appear to be flat smudgy outlined,it can alsombe more than onen color like black, red, grey, blue, or even brown. The ways that you can lookfor this cancer is to look for spots that are not round (asymetrical), spot that are uneven boarders on you skin, unusaual or uneven

Malignant melanoma is the most commonly seen skin cancer and it has the highest number of deaths among diseases of the skin (Friedman, Rigel, Kopf and Polsky, 2005). Among the many factors that cause this cutaneous cancer genetic modifications, viruses, carcinogens and excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays are the most commonly occurring (Friedman, Rigel, Kopf and Polsky, 2005). Malignant melanoma affects all areas of the skin and the disease forms in melanocytes, which are the cells in which pigments (melanin) are synthesized (Melanoma Treatment). The cancer has its origin in the epidermis and affect squamous and basal cells. The disease usually affects the trunk, arms and legs but can also be present in the eye, affecting the

What is cancer? This is an important question that will help people to understand the severity of this affliction. Cancer occurs from abnormal cell growth in the human body. When this happens tumors may form. Tumors are a mass of cells that continue to expand. These tumors may be benign. This means they will not spread through the body. Though, the tumors may be malignant which means they may spread to other areas of the body in an invasive manner. These malignant tumors have the potential to cause serious complications and even death. It is these tumors that are cancerous.

Everyone has some sort of mole or spot on there body. A speckled face can also turn into a dangerous cancer called melanoma. Melanoma accounts for relatively few cases of cancer and is highly treatable when caught early. You should always look into any suspicious moles or spots right away. Melanoma is a cancerous growth that occurs because of unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells. To determine whether to get expert advice, you can search for 5 common identifying factors, outlined by the National Cancer Institute as the ABC’s of

Cancer is a disease of an uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells in the body, which produces tumours known as neoplasms. It is the second most leading cause of death

Melanoma has become increasingly invasive where it has increased at an “average of 4.6% annually from 1975 to 1985 and 2.7% annually from 1986 to 2007.” (Rigel, Russak, & Friedman, 2010) While it might appear that the increase has diminished over time from 1975 to 2007, the percentage of individuals getting the skin cancer is still continually increasing. With the increase in individuals, it is expected that about one of fifty individuals are likely to develop an invasive form of melanoma that results in the expected deaths caused by melanoma to be approximately 8700. (Rigel et al., 2010) The concern to minimize the increasing number of cases lead to diagnosis of melanoma in its early stages, either done through licensed dermatologists or through myriad of computer techniques. Thus, Dermatologists and laymen have utilized the ABCDE method to detect early symptoms of melanoma in order to prevent onset symptoms. The ABCDE method utilized by professionals stands for Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variegation, Diameter < 6mm, and Evolving. (Rigel et al., 2010) The ABCDE method is applied to lesions and moles of individuals that appear melanomic: asymmetry is the lack of symmetry of the lesion; border irregularity is the indication that the melanomic lesion is ragged, notched, or blurred; color variegation is the abnormality in the color of the lesion; Diameter < 6mm indicates that the lesion is smaller than 6 mm; evolving that indicates the change in the lesion over time. In most cases, each factor of the ABCDE method is observed in combinations such as ABC or A and C rather than the observation of an individual feature itself. Conclusively, the ABCDE is a relatively simplistic method reliant on sight that is utilized by the general public and medical professionals to recognize and analyze suspicious moles or

Specific Purpose: After listening to my speech the audience will know what skin cancer is, what the three most common forms are, what the risk factors are, and some preventative measures that can be taken to lessen the risk.