Melanoma Research Paper

     There are three main types of skin cancer. These are malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. While melanoma is the most life-threatening of the three, it is also the most

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.

Cutaneous Melanoma: which is melanoma of the skin, most pigment cells which are produced are usually found in the skin, this is also the most common type of melanoma to be found on a person.

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

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

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).

Then next you have the Squamous Cell Carcinoma This type of skin cancer is not as dangerous as melanoma but may spread to other parts of the body if not treated. It grows over some months and appears on skin most often exposed to the sun. It can be a thickened, red, scaly spot that may bleed easily, crust or ulcerate.

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

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

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Anyone can get melanoma but if detected early on, it can be cured most of the time. If there is no early detection, it can spread to different parts of the body where it becomes difficult to treat and can be fatal. Cancer growths develop

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.