Melanoma is cancer that begins in the melanocytes. Other names for this cancer include malignant melanoma and cutaneous melanoma. Most melanoma cells still make melanin, so melanoma tumors are usually brown or black. But some melanomas do not make melanin and can appear pink, tan, or even white. This type of cancer can develop anywhere on the skin, but they are more likely to start on the chest/back in men and on the legs in women. The first sign is the appearance of a flat or slightly raised discolored patch that has irregular borders and is somewhat asymmetrical in form. The color varies, and you may see areas of tan, brown, black, red, blue or white.
Everyone is at risk for melanoma, but risk depends on several factors: sun exposure,
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Superficial spreading melanoma is the most common type. This type is most common in Caucasians, is usually irregular in shape, and has different shades of black and brown. Nodular melanoma is the second most common type and usually begins as a raised area that is dark blackish-blue or bluish-red. Lentigo maligna melanoma is usually seen in the elderly. This type is rare and is most common in sun-damaged skin on your face, neck, and arms. This last type of melanoma is very rare it is known as Acral lentiginous melanoma and it usually occurs on palms, sole of feet, or under the …show more content…
Five standard treatments that are being used today include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. Surgery to remove tumors is the primary treatment of all stages of melanoma. Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of
cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Lastly targeted therapy, is the treatment that uses drugs and other substances to attack cancer cells. Some of these treatments are standard and others are being clinically tested in clinical trials. Patients may enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. Follow-up tests may be needed.
Since its inception in 1979, The Skin Cancer Foundation has always recommended using sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 or higher as one important part of a complete sun protection regimen. Other prevention tips include the following: seek the shade, cover up, keep newborns out of the sun, examine your skin, and avoid tannin/ using UV tanning beds. It is also recommended you see you physician annually for a professional skin
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
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.
Superficial spreading melanoma: the most common type of melanoma carrying up to 70 percent of all the melanomas in the world. It is common in the young people and as the name suggests it spreads across the top layer before penetrating deep inside the skin.
Melanoma is a skin cancer that develops in pigment cells. These pigment cells are called melanocytes. These cells can grow rapidly and can spread throughout the lymphatic system. Early detection is a key factor when dealing with melanoma. The survival rate is determined by how early the cancer is diagnosed. If the cancer is caught at an early stage the survival rate is about 99%, but if it is not and it spreads throughout the lymphatic system, the survival rate drops to 14%. Melanoma is less common than most cancers but is one of the most dangerous cancers. Melanoma is caused by the exposure to ultraviolet from the sun and sunbeds. Sunburns that repeatedly occur can eventually cause the development of Melanoma. Melanoma can start off as just
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
Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply out of control and gradually build a mass of tissue called a tumor. There has been a large amount of research dedicated to the treatment and cure of cancer. Several types of treatments have been developed. The following are just some of the major examples of cancer therapy: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, biorhythms, unconventional treatments, and hyperthermia. Each type of treatment is discussed in detail below.
When a mutation occurs in melanocytes, it is called a neoplasm. This neoplasm is unregulated, irreversible and monoclonal. This new growth is not cancer, it is benign. When the mutant melanomas proliferate even more, they begin to look abnormal and invade surrounding epithelial tissue. This is known as carcinoma in situ which is still benign. The next step for this growth pattern is the cells invade local stroma. Once the mutated cells invade the stroma, it is malignant. The cancer can now metastasize and invade local lymph nodes.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. It begins in the basal cells, which are at the bottom of the outer skin layer (epidermis). It occurs most often on parts of the body that are frequently exposed to the sun, such as:
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
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
Normal moles will usually have an even color to it which will usually be tan, light or dark brown, pink and
The most serious type of skin cancer is melanoma. Melanoma begins in the melanocytes and forms tumors that are usually brown or black. Any skin on the body can develop melanoma. The common places for melanoma to start are the back and chest of men and the legs of women while the neck and face are also common spots. Although it is uncommon, melanoma can also be found in the eyes and mouth. The skin is the main organ affected by melanoma but its is possible for the cancer cells to spread to internal organs. If melanoma is spread to the immune system, it can trick it to not destroy the cancer cells by use of immune cell proteins. Melanocytes are cells with pigment in them, that give the skin its color and are also the cells that become melanoma.
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.
* Chemotherapy: Using special medicines or drugs to shrink or kill the cancer, Drugs include pills or IV. (Maybe both)