Skin Cancer: Melanoma
Diamond Moss 4/8
Definition of the Cancer & what part of the body does it mostly affect
The skin is the largest organ in the body and it's generally affected by melanoma
There are 3 layers of skin
- Epidermis
- Dermis
- Subcutis
Signs & Symptoms
Normal Moles- a normal mole is an evenly colored brown, tan, or black spot on the skin. It can be raised/flat, round/oval.
ABCDE are guides to usual signs of melanoma
A-asymmetry: half of the mole/birthmark doesn't match the other
B-border: edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred
C-color: the color isn't the same all over and may include shades of brown/black or sometimes with patches of pink, red, blue, or white
D-diameter: spot is larger than 6 millimeters across
E-evolving: mole changes in size, shape, and color
Other Warning Signs
- A sore that doesn't heal
- Spread of pigment from the border of a spot into surrounding skin
- Redness or a new swelling beyond the border
- Change in sensation: Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
- Change in the surface of a mole: scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a bump/nodule
Possible Causes of the Cancer and Prevention
- UV-A: Very constant throughout the years and contribute to aging and wrinkling of the skin
- UV-B: Stronger than UV-A, more intense in the summer months and are the most common cause of sunburn
- Exposure to tanning beds before age 30 increases a person's risk of developing melanoma
- Younger people who regularly use tanning beds are eight times more likely to develop melanoma
Prevention
- Wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher
- Reapply sunscreen often
- Cover your whole body
- Choose sunscreen labeled "broad spectrum"
- Avoid tanning salons
- Wear wrap-around sunglasses that provides 100% UV protection
- Seek shade or avoid the sun during the peak hours of 10am-4pm
- Use extra caution near water, snow, and sand
Diagnosis & Treatment
Biopsy: A procedure to remove the abnormal tissue and a small amount of normal tissue
- A pathologist looks at the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells
- Surgery
- Immuno-therapy
- Targeted therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
Most Likely to Affect
- Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers
- Melanoma will account for more than 73,000 cases of skin cancer in 2015
- It accounts for 1% of skin cancer cases but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths
- Melanoma is more than 20 times more common in Whites than African Americans
Sources
© 2005-2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
All rights reserved worldwide
NIH ... Turning Discovery Into Health®
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© 2016 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc