Melanoma Case Studies

Melanoma is caused by over exposure to UV which can sometimes cause sunburn, it can be especially critical to those whom are inclined to the disease itself. The tumours derive in the pigment-producing melanocytes which are inside the basal layer of the

The largest organ of the human body is your skin. It is your body’s first line of defense against infections, injuries, heat, and sunlight. It also helps in controlling the temperature of your body and getting rid of the excess water and salt by sweating it out. Skin cancer is also known as cancer of the sun. Excessive amounts of ultra violet lights affect your skin in negative ways, possibly leading to Melanoma skin cancer. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer there is and can often times be fatal (McClay).

Familial melanoma is a genetic or inherited condition. This means that the risk of having a melanoma can be passed from generation to generation in a family. Ordinarily, each cell has two copies of each gene: one inherited from the mother and one inherited from the father. Familial melanoma follows a dominant inheritance pattern, in which case a mutation happens in only one copy of the gene. As every cell has two copies of each gene, it means that a parent can potentially pass along a copy of his or her normal gene or a copy of the mutated gene. Therefore, a child who has a parent with a mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting that mutation. A related person such as a brother or a parent of the person who has a mutation also has a 50% chance of having the same mutation.

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

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).

Vitiligo is a skin pigmentation disorder. This disorder can be recognized by the presence of the patches and macules that are depigmented. For instance, someone with darker skin will have white patches among their body, as well as some white hair. Melanoma Associated Hypopigmentation is also a depigmentation of the skin, but it can be associated with immunotherapeutic agent treatments. Vitiligo and Melanoma Associated Hypopigmentation are both leukodermas. They also seem to link to MM which is Malignant Melanoma.

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.

     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

Malignant melanoma of the nail apparatus is extremely rare but there have been a few cases reported. It seems that almost half of the population that has been diagnosed with this disease has been misdiagnosed or did not receive the proper treatment to cure the disease. Since the cases are easily misdiagnosed, fatality is usually the outcome for most. Survival rate of this particular disease in recent studies has shown that humans live on average five years after being diagnosed with melanoma of the nail. The disease can affect either the upper or lower nail extremities. The scientist tested seven people, three males and four females, to see how this disease effects each of the patients.

Even though Simoncini has lost his practicing license and is fighting to get it back. However, dozens of clinics and hospitals that still implement the cancer fight tactics that he used. They way in which Simoncini treats cancer is by bringing the sodium bicarbonate in direct contact with the tumor. A treatment cycle is only six treatment, then 6 days off, this is repeated four times. The side effect of this treatment includes thirst and weakness.

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 hypothesis is accepted and the diagnosis is made: this woman has melanoma in two moles without metastases. The biopsies confirmed that all moles that contained melanoma had clean margins, therefore there is no reason to test for spread of the melanoma in nearby lymph nodes. The patient’s melanoma is Stage 0 and is called melanoma in situ meaning it is confined to the epidermis, and has not spread into the dermis. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that arises from normal pigment containing cells known as melanocytes. Melanocytes secrete melanin pigment, which is taken up by keratinocytes, providing a chemical barrier which shields nuclear DNA from UV damage. The primary cause of melanoma is increased exposure to UV light, UV exposure can

Skin cancer is an uninhibited growth of an irregular skin cell, which can possibly spread from the skin to tissue or the organs. The outer layer of skin is also called the epidermis. The epidermis is made of many different cells. The various types of skin cells are categorized by the subdivision of a particular epidermal cells implicated, such as basal cell carcinoma which is developed by unusual growth of the cell in the lowest layer of the skin. Melanoma which is sometimes classified as nonmelanoma, melanoma appears in a cell that generates pigment known as the melanocyte. Melanoma is the primary cause of fatality from a skin disease.

Melanoma is the second most diagnosed cancer among young adults, ages 20-39 years (Bleyer & Barr, 2009). Risk factors for developing skin cancer are greatly influenced by behavior, such as failing to adequately protect oneself from ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure from the sun (Gandini et al., 2005). Young adults have especially high rates of UV exposure (Coups, Manne, & Heckman, 2008). However, 50 to 85 percent of them fail to properly protect themselves from the sun (e.g., wear adequate sunscreen; Cokkinides, Weinstock, Lazovich, Ward, & Thun, 2009; Jones, Saraiya, Miyamoto, & Berkowitz, 2012). For these reasons, it is important to investigate psychosocial correlates of sun protection behavior in this population in order to help design effective interventions.

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.