Melanoma: The Most Dangerous Forms of All Skin Cancer Essay

     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

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.

As many as ninety percent of melanomas are estimated to be caused ultra violet (UV) exposure. This includes UV exposure from artificial sources, such as tanning beds. “Strong evidence now links tanning beds to melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer that afflicts nearly 69,000 Americans a year.”—USA Today. The more one tans and the younger one is your risk for melanoma increases. However, melanoma is increasing faster in women 15-29 years old, than in men the same age. Furthermore, 10,000 people die from melanoma. This is mainly caused because of tanning beds. As a matter of fact, a person dies every fifty minutes from melanoma, the second most common cancer. Tanning beds triple the risk of one getting melanoma. In fact, every time one goes and tans, the risk gets higher and higher. Following this further, more people get melanoma because of tanning beds than developing lung cancer because of

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It develops when unrepaired DNA damage to your skin cells trigger genetic defects that lead you skin cells to multiply at a fast pace and form tumors. Melanoma can often resemble moles and some can come from previous moles. These melanoma moles can range in color from pink, red, brown, purple, white, blue and skin-colored, but more mostly seen as black or brown. It’s said that consumers who use indoor ultraviolent tanning devices are seven-four percent more likely to develop melanoma compared to someone who has never used a tanning bed before. Melanoma is usually caused from intense and over exposure to UV radiation. It has be estimated to kill around 10,000 individuals in the U.S. each year. The lifetime risk of melanoma is 1.5 times higher in males than in females. Melanoma is curable, if it is recognized early and

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.

Indoor tanning exposes users to two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB. UVA rays are suspected to be linked to the development of melanoma and other skin cancers. Worldwide, there are more skin cancer cases due to indoor tanning than there are lung cancer cases due to smoking. Tanning causes damage to the DNA in our skin cells, which leads to abnormal growth that could be benign or malignant. Tanning also weakens our immune system which compromises our body's capability of fighting against malignancies and cancer cells. There are two types of skin cancer that can be caused by tanning- basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. These types are treatable with early detection. Development of melanoma can be fatal."In the US alone, 419,254 cases of skin cancer can be attributed to indoor tanning. Out of this number, 6,199 are melanoma cases" (Skin Cancer Foundation). It has been found that younger tanners are at higher risk of developing skin cancers from tanning, but with the high levels of UV exposure, any tanner should take

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 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

Melanoma can be anywhere on your body. Moles, warts, or even a sun burn can lead to melanoma. Melanoma is a form of cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells in the skin that produce the brown color known as melanin. These are the cells that darken when exposed to the sun, a protective response to protect the deeper layers of the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

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.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, but what is it, and how does it form? Well, according to the Mayo Clinic, melanoma causes DNA damage to cells which begin to grow out of control and can eventually form a mass of cancerous cells (Mayoclinic.org). Elderly men are at highest risk, but melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults 25 to 29 years old (ASCO). Therefore, all ages are prone to melanoma. Melanoma not only occurs in men, it also occurs in women. The

Skin cancer is a disease where cancer (malignant) cells are found on the outer layer of the

Skin cancer, specifically Melanoma, is one of the most diagnosed cancers on a list of many. If skin cancer is left untreated or ignored, it can then continue to grow to the dermis and the subcutaneous tissues. This could potentially lead to any surrounding muscle, bone, blood, or lymph fluids. This could cause the cancer to spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs, liver, bone, etc… The three types of cancer are, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma. Although they all have something in common, the skin, there are some differences.

These growths of cancer appear from the unrepaired DNA on skin cells that result in mutations that make malignant tumors from rapid cell growth. This cancer is found in the basal layer of the epidermis where the pigment-making melanocytes are. Most of the melanoma growths are seen as moles, which are produced from the damaging UV rays. If it is found early, this cancer can be cured, but when it is not treated, it will spread, allowing the cancer to become deadly. Heredity and a weak immune system are other causes of melanoma. When found in enough time, it can be removed surgically. Each of the types of skin cancer can be cured and may have recurrence of the cancer, but it is less likely after