Malignant Melanoma
Palm Harbor Malignant Melanoma Treatment
It is projected that this most virulent of all skin cancers develop on the skin of 32,000 Americans annually. And every year an estimated 6,800 Americans will die from melanoma. It is important to note that the death rate is at last declining because patients are seeking help earlier. Melanoma, like its less aggressive cousins, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, is almost always curable in its early stages.
About Melanomas
Melanoma has its beginnings in melanocytes, the skin cells that produce the dark protective pigment called melanin. It is melanin that is responsible for suntanned skin, acting as partial protection against the sun. Melanoma cells usually continue to produce melanin, which accounts for the cancers appearing in mixed shades of tan, brown and black. Melanoma has a tendency to spread, making it essential to treat.
Melanoma may suddenly appear without warning but it may also begin in or near a mole or other dark spot in the skin. For that reason, it is important that we know the location and appearance of the moles on our bodies so any change will be noticed.
Warning Signs and Causes of Melanomas
Excessive exposure to the sun, as with the other skin cancers, is accepted as a cause of melanoma, especially among light-skinned people. Heredity may play a part, and also atypical moles, which may run in families, can serve as markers, identifying the person as being at higher risk for developing melanoma there or elsewhere in the skin.
Dark brown or black skin is not a guarantee against melanoma. Black people can develop this cancer, especially on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, under nails, or in the mouth.
Other warning signs include changes in the surface of a mole; scaliness, oozing, bleeding or the appearance of a bump or nodule; the spread of pigment from the border into surrounding skin: and change in sensation including itchiness, tenderness, or pain.