Melanoma Melanoma is a malignant tumor that arises from pigment-producing skin cells termed melanocytes. When the cell division of these melanocytes becomes unregulated, they begin to divide and multiply too rapidly. This results in a cancerous overgrowth of these pigmented cells. Melanomas most frequently begin as a benign
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
Kristen, I found your posting very informative especially regarding the risk factors of the Hispanic community. One small observation that I noted is that there is no explanation as to what the MRAT acronym stands far. The Melanoma Risk Assessment Tool (MRAT) unfortunately is very limited in its usage because it is useful for non-Hispanic whites only missing a significant portion of our population.
The submitted records have been reviewed. The member is an adult female with a birth date of 07/01/1987. She has a diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma. Her treating provider, Semyon Zarkhin, MD recommended DecisionDX Melanoma testing, which was performed on 11/23/2015.
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 Facts on Acral Lentiginous Melanoma 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).
The Procedure of Cutaneous Melanoma Surveillance Using Comparison to Baseline Total Cutaneous Photographic images (NISHP) A Cost-Effective Method to Prevent Lethal 'rumors and Reduce Unnecessary Skin Biopsies The care of patients who have cutaneous melanoma (CM) has undergone a dramatic shift during the past 5 decades. Excision of pre-metastatic; CM has been the overriding goal. because once distant metastases have occurred. prognosis is dismal. Skin awareness and self-examination by patients. screening examinations of the skin, nails, and mucous membranes by physicians, and careful long-term Surveillance of patients determined in be al high risk for CM 'based on identifiable historic and phenotypic traits are having an immediate positive impact on CM. related mortality and CM-related case. fatality rate.
Introduction 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
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.
Research Project Outline Introduction Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer, causing up to 75% cancer-related deaths and is usually occurs due to exposure to UV rays of the sun. The chances are increased with sunburn episodes especially during childhood. It developed from the pigment cells known as melanocytes, a layer of cells producing melanin which protects against the damaging rays of the sun. Sometimes, these pigment cells increase in size and become cancerous melanoma. It didn’t show any particular symptoms, however, it is related to the changes associated with moles, gives ‘ABCDE’ warning signs i.e. Asymmetry, irregular Border, uneven Colour, Diameter, evolution.
• Acrofacial Vitiligo: The discolouration of fingers and periorificial areas. • Mucosal Vitiligo: Depigmentation of only the mucous membranes (nose & mouth) What is Melanin & Why is it Important? Melanin is the pigment produced by melanocytes to give skin, hair and eyes their colour. When melanocytes are destroyed, skin cells appear white. In addition to giving skin its colour, melanin also protects our skin from the sun. Lack of melanin in the skin leads to a greater risk of sun burn in affected areas and the development of skin cancer
The Facts about Vitiligo Vitiligo is an auto-immune disease where melanocytes, the cells that make pigment in the skin, are destroyed (Vora, Patel, Chaudhary, Mehta & Pilani, 2014). It is characterized clinically by totally white patches of skin, also known as lesions, appearing primarily on visible areas of the body, including face and hands (Osman, Elkordufani & Abdullah, 2009). In very rare cases vitiligo is accompanied by itching or other somatic symptoms but gradual discoloration is generally its only physical symptom (Schmid-Ott et al., 2007). The patches develop unpredictably and while there is a genetic component to vitiligo, race and age do not affect the incidence of the disease (Gupta, Sreenivas, Mehta, Khaitan & Ramam,
Stages of melanoma Once the melanoma’s type has been recognised the next step is to classify them based on their respective severity. This classification is known as the stage. Each stage defines how far the melanoma has penetrated inside the skin and the thickness of the malignant moles and the spreading of the disease. The stage is used to determine the kind of treatment used to diagnose the patient.
Darker skinned people are less prone to melanoma as they have more melanin in their skin, which helps protect the skin from the UV rays. This means that darker skinned people will not benefit as much from our solution as fair, white skinned people due to having less melanin in their skin (Gupta, 2014). To narrow our target audience down even more, our focus would be to ensure light skinned, European babies are covered with our solution to prevent melanoma all together but darker skinned babies can go through the process as it can still benefit them. By immunisng the younger generation from birth this will be an effective solution short term for the young children to prevent them from melanoma from birth until death. This is also an effective solution for the a long term basis as the older generations that are not immunised with ‘melaNOma’ die out, the younger generations will grow up with the vaccine and are prevented for their life. This will create a healthier population and a huge decrease in the amount of melanoma patients and hopefully stop melanoma completely in the
If you decide to undergo melasma laser treatment, then choose an experienced dermatologist for the treatment. Your doctor