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.
In the case study, it was important to remove and examine the mole because it looked suspicious and had the characteristics of melanoma. The patient had a high chance of developing melanoma and had a family history of skin cancer. Because the mole was growing, it might be melanoma.3 If the doctor let the mole remain, then it could have progressed to the next stage.
Melanoma progresses in stages. In stage zero, it only affects the epidermis of the skin. Then, in stage one, it has spread to the upper part of the dermis; it is less than 1.5 millimeters (1/16 inches) in diameter.4 In stage two, the melanoma has grown to between 1.5 millimeters and 4 millimeters (less than 1/6 of an inch) in diameter; it has reached the lower part of the dermis but not the tissue beneath the lymph nodes.4 At stage three, the tumor may be larger than 4 millimeters in diameter, may have reached the lower layer of the skin and may have other growths close to the main tumor.4 In addition, at this stage, it has reached the lymph nodes and it will readily move to nearby areas of the body.4 At stage four, which is the final stage, the mel...
... middle of paper ...
...e the same for melanoma because, in the procedure, the skin which includes the melanoma is removed in very thin layers to examine it under a microscope for more signs of cancer. 5 The test continues until the layer shows no sign of cancer.5
A second type of surgery that Max’s physician might consider is called lymph node dissection. In this surgery, the lymph nodes that are near the melanoma are removed because the melanoma cells would probably spread to those areas first. 5 Though, this procedure has not yet been proven. 5 If the melanoma has already metastasized, then it is very improbable that it can be cured by surgery alone. Max’s physician may use CT or MRI scans to find melanoma elsewhere in the body but it may be too small for detection by these scans. 5 However, in this case, surgery can help slow the progression of the cancer and improve quality of life. 5
Malignant melanoma is a type of cancer arising from the melanocyte cells of the skin. The melanocytes are cells in the skin that produce the pigment melanin. Malignant melanoma develops when the melanocytes no longer respond to normal control mechanisms of cellular growth and are capable of invasion locally or spread to other organs in the body (metastasis), where again they invade and compromise the function of that organ.
Malignant Melanoma is a type of malignant cancer that affects the melanocytes. A melanocyte produces the pigmentation in our skin and melanin gives us the color to our skin. These cells occur in the skin and can be found in other parts of the body. It is important to realize that melanoma can begin in any part of the body that can contain a melanocyte. Melanoma is considered less common than other skin cancers. It is a cancer that can be very dangerous if not detected early. Although in most cases it is diagnosed in time and can be cured. Many people are diagnosed with this cancer and it is said that 160,000 cases are diagnosed a year. ( ). In men a common site is on their back and for a woman is on their legs.
Treatment depends on number of factors like the health of a person and their age, treatments can be very strenuous on the body but almost no surgery is required. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy o combined making treatment for lymphoma very effective and giving it a high survival rate.
Surgery is the oldest type of treatment for cancer. In its earlier use, surgery was not as successful as it is today. This was due to the difficulties involved with the anesthesias, excessive blood loss, respiratory distress, and a number of other complications. Tumors were removed, but metastases had formed, and the cancer returned quickly. In modern day surgery, namely laser surgery, these difficulties do not occur as readily. There are four basic ways to use surgery. One way is a diagnostic biopsy. This is a technique that involves removing part of the tumor, in order to test for malignancy. Another technique is surgery that removes the primary tumor. A third technique is removal of lymphatic tumors and metastases, which can help reduce the recurrence of cancer. The fourth technique is a combination of surgeries to detect and treat a malignant or benign tissue mass (1).
Moles are harmless and in very rare cases they can lead to cancer. In fact, detecting pigment patches and monitoring moles can help detecting skin cancer, particularly malignant melanoma. They are usually round or oval shape that may be a birth mark which may be present at the time of birth. There may be cases when moles develop at the time of pregnancy and puberty.
The word melanoma comes from the Greek words, melas (black) and -oma (tumour). It is a very serious cancer that most often occurs in the skin and less frequently in the eye or in the lining of the nose, mouth, or genitals. Melanoma begins in melanocytes, cells that make a pigment called melanin. Both light- and dark-skinned people have melanin, which gives colour to the skin, hair, and parts of the eye.
Melanocytes are the cells responsible for the production of melanin, known as the tan or brown pigment produced to protect the skin from harmful sunrays. Melanocytes are located in the epidermis which is known as the first layer of skin. How melanoma skin cancer begins to form is by forming benign tumors. Which is basically a mass of non cancerous cells and have a slower growth rate than a malignant tumor. This is commonly seen as a (nevus) mole, this a form of a benign skin tumor due to melanocytes producing an abundant amount of melanin causing it to collect. Metastatic melanoma can nearly develop anywhere on the skin for males it is on the trunk, chest and upper body, were as for women it is common to see it on the legs. Metastatic can aslo spread through the epidermis and into the
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It’s produced in cells called melanocytes which produce pigment in your skin. Melanoma can be formed or resemble a mole. It can also be caused from too much sun exposure that you can acquire from tanning beds. If melanoma is diagnosed and treated at an early stage, it can almost always be cured. But if it’s not, the cancer can advance and spread throughout the body where it can be hard to treat and be fatal. I witnessed one of my friend’s,mother fight first hand. I was in 3rd grade, she was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. With being so young, it was hard for my friend to understand the possibilities of the dangerous cancer. She fought for two hard and exhausting years. The doctors did the best
Cancer is a very large issue in the world. Cancer is a sickness that can lead to many life threatening problems and can eventually lead to death. There are many different kinds of cancer that can effect a person without them even knowing it is there. One type of cancer that can be easier to detect would be skin cancer. Skin cancer can be diagnosed by seeing a doctor or dermatologist, if they see an abnormal mole or spot on your skin, they many ask to remove the spot and test it in their laboratory. If the spot or mole comes back positive for skin cancer, they next will run more tests to see if it has spread throughout the body. The first thing the doctor will ask you is the time frame from when you first started noticing this on your body,
Skin cancer is a disease that begins in cells, the building blocks that make up the biggest organ in the human body, which is the skin. Normally in the human body, skin cells grown and divide into many to form new cells taking place the cells that grow old and die. Therefore, skin cancer occurs when the orderly process goes wrong so there is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal meaning that it leads the skin cells to multiply rapidly and grow onto others tissues forming malignant tumors. Even though skin cancer forms in the skin, they are classified based on the types of cells where the cancer starts; Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
In life we come across many struggles and hardships. Some have more struggles then others but we all have them. Breast cancer could be one of those struggles whether male or female. Breast cancer is not just something that a woman can get like most people believe. Anyone can get it. In this essay you will about what breast cancer is, some symptoms, how it is treated, and my personal experience with it. Most people do not know what breast cancer is they just know that it is cancer in the breast.
3. History of melanoma. There is no evidence of new or recurrent melanoma noted. Please return to the dermatology clinic in 3-4
Imagine that you are sixteen. You are overjoyed because you have just received your license and can finally drive whenever and wherever you please. A lot of people have been talking about the new tanning salon that has recently opened up in town. You decide to go and check it out, and discover that tanning is something you really enjoy. Tanning becomes an every-other-day occurrence, but after a year, you notice a mole on your leg that you never noticed before. The mole is cancerous, and it is melanoma. You have cancer, and you are only a teenager.
In 2014, approximately 76,000 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer. Melanoma is the most common and most dangerous skin cancer there is. Anyone can get melanoma when not protecting their skin. Throughout this paper there will be discussed the causes, treatments, protection and prevention, and also the effects melanoma has on the human body. Melanoma skin cancer is a cancer that Americans should be more aware of and should take greater precautions when exposing their skin to the sun.
Melanoma is the most dangerous of skin cancer. Melanoma is complicated from how it happens, the signs and symptoms, causes, risk factors and treatment. There are so many types of cancers, but Melanoma is a cancer that you do not hear of as often.