Overview of Malignant Melanoma

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.

Malignant melanoma is usually diagnosed by the doctor looking at a certain area in the skin that might raise concern. The doctor will then perform a skin biopsy which is known as removing all or a part of the skin area that is infected while under a local anesthesia and sending the specimen that was collected to a pathologist to be looked at. The skin biopsy report might show an atypical mole, a melanoma that might need surgery, and a benign condition that doctor wont need to treat. Some doctors might also use a technique called dermatoscopy which is when they cover a suspicious spot with oil and examine it with a brightly lit magnifying instrument.

In melanoma some common signs and symptoms are the doctor may notice an abnormal area in the skin that may look unusual. A mole, sore, lump, or growth on the skin can be a sign of melanoma. A sore or growth that bleeds, or changes in skin coloring may also be a sign of skin cancer. Your doctor may run several test to detect if melanoma is...

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...so, advances in melanoma research will result from melanoma investigators co-opting approaches used to study other malignancies in which progress has been made more rapidly. The public and public officials are increasingly becoming aware of the need for more dedicated efforts to address the challenges of research on this malignancy.

Works Cited

Melanoma. (2014, January 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:16, January 22, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Melanoma&oldid=591876579

http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma

http://www.cancer.org/aboutus/sitemap/index

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http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/tc/skin-cancer-melanoma-prevention