Melanoma - Cancer of the Skin

Melanoma is a cancer of the skin that is malignant and can be identified prominently on the skin but can also be identified in the bowel and even the eye. Melanoma is the rarest of skin cancers but it causes the most skin cancer linked deaths. Melanoma is caused by the uncontrolled growth of pigment cells identified as melanocytes. The only cure for melanoma is to surgically get rid of the tumor just before it grows to a size of 1mm.

There are close to 160,000 new situations of melanoma worldwide every single and each and every year and according to the World Health Organization there are roughly 48,000 deaths linked to melanoma each and every year as nicely. 75 percent of all deaths from skin cancer are related to malignant melanoma. Treatment for melanoma consists of the aforementioned surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and even radiation therapy. It is suggested by doctors that everyone who has a loved ones history of melanoma ought to see a dermatologist at least as soon as a year to make certain they are not creating melanoma themselves.

The initial case of melanoma did not come until the 1960s; at least the oldest identified case was identified until the 1960s. Scientists had been working on a group of mummies once they noticed deformities in their skin. It was determined that these mummies did have some kind of malignant melanoma. The mummies dated back at least 2,400 years. The initial operation connected to melanoma occurred in 1787 by a man named John Hunter. The tumor that was removed from the skin was preserved in the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The mass was not examined until the year of 1968. Upon examination and testing it was concluded that the mass was in reality a form of metastatic melanoma.

There is a mnemonic device to best keep in mind the signs and symptoms of melanoma. It is "ABCDE."

A: asymmetrical skin lesion
B: border of the lesion is irregular
C: color: melanomas generally have numerous colors
D: diameter: moles higher than 5mm are much more most likely to be melanomas than smaller ones
E: evolution: the evolution or alter of a mole or lesion might be a hint that the lesion is becoming malignant. Elevation: the mole is raised or elevated above the skin.

There are seven kinds of melanoma. They are superficial spreading melanoma, nodular melanoma, acral lentiginous melanoma, lentigo maligna melanoma, clear cell sarcoma, mucosal melanoma and uveal melanoma. As with all sorts of cancers, particularly malignant ones, there are 4 stages of the illness that melanoma can be active in. The stages are Stage I, Stage II, Stage III and Stage IV. Every single various stage has sublevels that the melanoma can create in.

Patients suffering from melanoma can really feel a loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, an uncomfortable feeling and a general weakness all through the body. Melanoma, like all other cancers, can't be totally cured but it can be kept under control with radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. As with all chemotherapy remedies a feeling of fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, bowel difficulties and weight loss can occur.