Melanoma

Not too long ago, if i were asked to list the deadliest cancers in the world, i would not have name skin cancer as one of them... But then, in these few months, i have been bombarded with new information about melanoma (skin cancer). The tv shows, books and internet have been increasing the awareness of melanoma in the media, informing people that more and more people are dying from this cancer... Thus, inspiring me to do my bits in spreading information to other people through my writing as well...

What is Melanoma???

Melanoma is a cancer that originates in the pigment-producing cells of the skin (melanocytes). Sunlight stimulates melanocytes to produce more melanin (the pigment that darkens the skin) and increases the risk of melanoma.

It is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, and the number of people affected by it has been increasing faster than any other cancer type over the past 30 years, according to the World Health Organization. Skin cancer annually kills 66,000 people around the world, the WHO said, and 80 percent of these deaths are attributable to melanoma.

As many as 68,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States last year, and about 8,600 people died of the disease. In France, 7,000 cases of melanoma are detected each year, and an average of 1,300 of them have a fatal outcome.

Melanoma can begin as a new, small, pigmented skin growth on normal skin, most often on sun-exposed areas, or it may develop from preexisting pigmented moles. Sometimes melanoma runs in families. Melanoma readily spreads (metastasizes) to distant parts of the body, where it continues to grow and destroy tissue.

Self-screening of Melanoma:

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) touts the following ABCDE’s for self-screening for melanoma. Melanoma can be quickly identified and treated but when ignored is deadly.

· Asymmetry (one half unlike the other half)

· Border (irregular, scalloped or poorly defined)

· Colour (varies from one area to another; shades of tan and brown, black; sometimes white, red or blue)

· Diameter (the size of a pencil eraser or larger)

· Evolving (changing in size, shape or colour)

To give yourself an exam it is best to have a mirror and a flashlight. If you see any of the above irregularities in moles or spots on your skin, consult a dermatologist. Doctors would do a biopsy to confirm the melanoma diagnosis...

Can melanoma be treated???

The less a melanoma has grown into the skin, the greater the chance that surgery will cure it. If diagnosed early, surgery can cure almost 100% of shallow melanomas.

However, melanomas that have grown deeper into the skin have a greater chance to have spread (metastasized) through the lymphatic and blood vessels. Melanomas that have spread are often fatal.

Chemotherapy is used to treat melanomas that have spread, but few are cured. Some of the people treated live for less 9 months. New and experimental treatments such as interleukin-2 and vaccines, which stimulate the body to attack the melanoma cells, have yielded promising results.

Can melanoma be prevented???

Because melanoma is often caused by long-term sun exposure, doctors recommend that people stay out of the sun and use protective clothing and sunscreen, starting in early childhood. It turns out that people who are revealing more skin will have greater exposure to the sun, which increases the risk to get melanoma, so... i think that people can actually imply what i am suggesting here...

People who is at risk of developing melanomas should go for yearly skin examinations. People who have many moles should have total body skin examinations at least once a year.

I would like to conclude that melanoma is very deadly... It is easily preventable (people can actually reduce the risk of getting melanoma) but when diagnosed at a later stage, have less chance for survival... Self-screening can be easily conducted at home and any findings should be referred to the doctors...