Categories
types of cancer

Melanoma

Overview

Melanoma is a type of cancer that develops in the melanocytes, which are the pigment cells present in the skin. Melanoma is more serious/aggressive type of cancer. It can also occur in the eyes and in rare instances, within internal organs. Melanomas are most likely to occur on the chest and back in men and on the legs in women. Neck and face are the other common sites of occurrence for this type of cancer. Melanomas often resemble moles; some develop from moles. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but they can also be skin-coloured, pink, red, purple, blue or white.

The exact cause of all melanomas isn’t clear, but exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight or tanning lamps and beds increases the risk of developing melanoma. Limiting the exposure to UV rays can help reduce your risk of melanoma.

The risk of melanoma seems to be increasing in people under 40, especially women. Knowing the warning signs of skin cancer can help ensure that cancerous changes are detected and treated before the cancer has spread. Melanoma can be treated successfully if it is detected early.

Symptoms

Melanomas can develop anywhere on the body. They most often develop in areas that have had exposure to the sun, such as your back, legs, arms and face. Melanomas can also occur in areas that don’t receive much sun exposure, such as the soles of your feet, palms of your hands and fingernail beds. These hidden melanomas are more common in people with darker skin. Sudden occurrence of moles, sores, lumps or marks on the skin may be a key sign of melanoma or other types of skin cancer.

The common or early signs of melanoma are:

  • A change in an existing mole
  • Development of new pigmented skin
  • Unusual looking growth on the skin
  • Pigments that spread from the border of a spot into the surrounding skin
  • Redness
  • Itchiness

    • Melanoma doesn’t always begin as a mole. It can also occur on otherwise normal-appearing skin. Normal moles have a uniform colour — be it tan, brown or black — with a distinct border separating the mole from the surrounding skin. They’re usually shaped oval or round and are smaller than 1/4 inch. Most people have around 10-45 moles many of which develop much later in life, around the age of 50. Many moles may change appearance over time and few may even disappear as a person ages. Unusual moles may indicate melanoma. Below are the ABCDEs of Melanoma:

  • A – Asymmetry: In an asymmetrical mole, if a line is drawn through the middle, the two halves will not match. These are a warning sign for melanoma.
  • B – Border: A benign mole has smooth, even borders, unlike melanomas. The borders of an early melanoma tend to be uneven. The edges may be scalloped or notched.
  • C – Colour: Most benign moles are all one colour — often a single shade of brown. Having a variety of colours is another warning signal. A number of different shades of brown, tan or black could appear. A melanoma may also become red, white or blue.
  • D – Diameter: Benign moles usually have a smaller diameter than malignant ones.
  • E – Evolving: Common, benign moles look the same over time. Be on the alert when a mole starts to evolve or change in any way. When a mole is evolving, see a doctor. Any change — in size, shape, colour, elevation, or another trait, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting — points to danger.

    • Melanomas can also develop in areas of the body that have little or no exposure to the sun, such as between the toes and on the palms, soles, scalp or genitals. These are sometimes referred to as hidden melanomas because they occur in places most people wouldn’t think to check. Hidden melanomas include:

  • Melanoma under a nail. Acral-lentiginous melanoma is a rare form of melanoma that can occur under a fingernail or toenail. It can also be found on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet.
  • Melanoma in the mouth, digestive tract, urinary tract or vagina. Mucosal melanoma develops in the mucous membrane that lines the nose, mouth, oesophagus, anus, urinary tract and vagina. Mucosal melanomas are especially difficult to detect because they can easily be mistaken for other far more common conditions.
  • Melanoma in the eye. Eye melanoma, also called ocular melanoma, most often occurs in the uvea — the layer beneath the white of the eye (sclera). An eye melanoma may cause vision changes and may be diagnosed during an eye exam.

    • Causes

    The skin cells develop in a controlled manner where the healthy newer cells push older cells toward your skin’s surface. The older cells on the surface die and eventually fall off. However, when some cells develop DNA damage, new cells may begin to grow out of control and can eventually form a mass of cancerous cells. What damages the DNA in skin cells and how this leads to melanoma isn’t clear. It’s most likely a combination of factors which includes environmental and genetic factors. Doctors believe exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and from tanning lamps and beds is the leading cause of melanoma. While UV radiation could be the case, it doesn’t cause all melanomas, especially hidden melanomas. This indicates that other factors may contribute to your risk of melanoma.

    Some of the risk factors are:

  • Fair skin: Having less melanin in the skin means there is lesser protection from damaging UV radiation. This increases the chances of getting melanoma
  • A history of sunburn: One or more severe, blistering sunburns can increase your risk of melanoma.
  • Excessive UV exposure: Exposure to UV radiation, which comes from the sun and from tanning lights and beds, can increase the risk of skin cancer, including melanoma.
  • Living closer to the equator or at a higher elevation. People living closer to the earth’s equator, where the sun’s rays are more direct, experience higher amounts of UV radiation than do those living in higher latitudes. In addition, if you live at a high elevation, you’re exposed to more UV radiation.
  • Having many moles or unusual moles. Having more than 50 ordinary moles on your body indicates an increased risk of melanoma. Also, having an unusual type of mole increases the risk of melanoma. Known medically as dysplastic nevi, these tend to be larger than normal moles and have irregular borders and a mixture of colours.
  • Family history of melanoma
  • Weak immune system

    • Diagnosis

    Sometimes melanoma can be detected simply by looking/examining the skin however, the only way to accurately diagnose melanoma is through a biopsy. In this procedure, all or part of the suspicious mole or growth is removed and a pathologist analyses the sample. The biopsy procedures to diagnose melanoma are:

  • Punch Biopsy: During a punch biopsy, your doctor uses a tool with a circular blade. The blade is pressed into the skin around a suspicious mole, and a round piece of skin is removed.
  • Excisional Biopsy: In this procedure, the entire mole or growth is removed along with a small border of normal-appearing skin
  • Incisional Biopsy: With an incisional biopsy, only the most irregular part of a mole or growth is taken for laboratory analysis.

    • Usually doctors prefer punch or excisional biopsy however, in cases where the suspected mole/growth is too large, an incisional biopsy may be done.

    Treatment

    Treatment plans are suggested based on the stage of cancer and other factors and the options include:

  • Surgery: The surgeon may remove the mole/growth and some surrounding healthy tissue. If the melanoma has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the surgeon may remove the affected nodes. Additional treatments before or after surgery also may be recommended.
  • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be given intravenously, in pill form or both so that it travels throughout your body. Chemotherapy can also be given in a vein in your arm or leg in a procedure called isolated limb perfusion. During this procedure, blood in the arm or leg isn’t allowed to travel to other areas of your body for a short time so that the chemotherapy drugs travel directly to the area around the melanoma and don’t affect other parts of your body.
  • Radiation therapy: This treatment uses high-powered energy beams, such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy may be recommended after surgery to remove the lymph nodes. It’s sometimes used to help relieve symptoms of melanoma that has spread to another area of the body.
  • Immunotherapy: It aims to boosts the immune system to help the body fight cancer. These treatments are designed of substances produced by the body or similar substances produced in a laboratory. Side effects of these treatments are similar to those of the flu, including chills, fatigue, fever, headache and muscle aches.
  • Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy uses medications designed to target specific vulnerabilities in cancer cells. Side effects of targeted therapies vary, but tend to include skin problems, fever, chills and dehydration

    • 300 replies on “Melanoma”

    I am an investor of gate io, I have consulted a lot of information, I hope to upgrade my investment strategy with a new model. Your article creation ideas have given me a lot of inspiration, but I still have some doubts. I wonder if you can help me? Thanks.

    Hey there! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give
    a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading through your blog posts.
    Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with
    the same subjects? Thanks!

    Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear.
    Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless,
    just wanted to say wonderful blog!

    Nice blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
    A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out.

    Please let me know where you got your theme. Kudos

    My partner and I absolutely love your blog and
    find the majority of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for.
    can you offer guest writers to write content for yourself?
    I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on a number
    of the subjects you write in relation to here. Again, awesome website!

    Hello, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came to
    “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to enhance
    my site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!

    You actually make it appear so easy with your presentation however I in finding this topic to be actually something
    which I think I might by no means understand.
    It kind of feels too complex and extremely wide for me.
    I am looking forward in your next put up, I will try to get the hang of it!

    Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?

    There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your
    content. Please let me know. Thanks

    Thanks for any other informative website. The place else could I am getting that kind of information written in such an ideal approach?
    I’ve a challenge that I am simply now operating on, and I’ve been at the
    glance out for such information.

    It is in reality a nice and helpful piece of information. I am satisfied
    that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please stay
    us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

    Just want to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your put up is just cool and
    that i can assume you are a professional on this subject.
    Fine together with your permission let me to grasp your feed to keep up
    to date with forthcoming post. Thank you 1,000,000 and please continue the rewarding work.

    After looking over a number of the blog posts on your website, I honestly like your technique of blogging.
    I bookmarked it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back soon. Please visit my website
    as well and let me know your opinion.

    Hello there I am so excited I found your website, I really found you by accident, while I was
    searching on Bing for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to
    say thanks for a fantastic post and a all round exciting
    blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the minute but
    I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read
    much more, Please do keep up the fantastic work.

    Can I simply just say what a relief to discover someone who truly knows what they’re talking
    about on the net. You actually understand how to bring
    an issue to light and make it important. More people
    have to check this out and understand this side of the
    story. It’s surprising you are not more popular because you most certainly have the gift.

    Hi my family member! I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and
    come with approximately all significant infos. I’d like to look extra posts like this .

    I’ll right away snatch your rss feed as I can not in finding your
    email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you have any?
    Kindly let me recognize so that I may just subscribe.

    Thanks.

    It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate
    to this brilliant blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking
    and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will talk about this website with my
    Facebook group. Chat soon!

    I believe what you posted was actually very reasonable.
    However, what about this? suppose you added a little information? I mean, I don’t
    wish to tell you how to run your blog, but what if you added a post title that makes people want more?

    I mean Bharath Hospital & Institute of Oncology is kinda boring.
    You might glance at Yahoo’s front page and watch how they create article titles to
    get viewers to click. You might add a video or a pic or two to get readers interested about what you’ve written.
    Just my opinion, it could bring your posts a little bit
    more interesting.

    Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this web site
    needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to see more,
    thanks for the advice!

    I have read a few good stuff here. Definitely
    price bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how
    so much attempt you place to make the sort of magnificent informative website.

    Абузоустойчивый VPS
    Виртуальные серверы VPS/VDS: Путь к Успешному Бизнесу

    В мире современных технологий и онлайн-бизнеса важно иметь надежную инфраструктуру для развития проектов и обеспечения безопасности данных. В этой статье мы рассмотрим, почему виртуальные серверы VPS/VDS, предлагаемые по стартовой цене всего 13 рублей, являются ключом к успеху в современном бизнесе

    https://medium.com/@BostonWade78410/ботоферма-сервер-96525914a9d0
    VPS SERVER
    Высокоскоростной доступ в Интернет: до 1000 Мбит/с
    Скорость подключения к Интернету — еще один важный фактор для успеха вашего проекта. Наши VPS/VDS-серверы, адаптированные как под Windows, так и под Linux, обеспечивают доступ в Интернет со скоростью до 1000 Мбит/с, что гарантирует быструю загрузку веб-страниц и высокую производительность онлайн-приложений на обеих операционных системах.

    VPS SERVER
    Высокоскоростной доступ в Интернет: до 1000 Мбит/с
    Скорость подключения к Интернету — еще один важный фактор для успеха вашего проекта. Наши VPS/VDS-серверы, адаптированные как под Windows, так и под Linux, обеспечивают доступ в Интернет со скоростью до 1000 Мбит/с, что гарантирует быструю загрузку веб-страниц и высокую производительность онлайн-приложений на обеих операционных системах.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *