Melanoma What is melanoma and what it does to you

What is melanoma?

0Melanoma is a serious and risky type of skin cancer that is an unusual growth on skin cell called melanocytes.

0Melanocyte: melanin-producing cells located in the bottom layer of the skin’s epidermis

Can anyone get melanoma?0People of all races and ethnicities can get melanoma, but

individuals with light-colored hair, eyes and skin have a higher risk. Anyone can get melanoma.

0The rick of melanoma goes up by age. 057 is the most common age to get diagnosis Although melanoma is more likely to occur in older people, this is a cancer that is also found in younger people. In fact, melanoma is one of the most common cancers in people younger than 30.

Signs of Melanoma

0 size of the mole or if its different from the other moles that you have, like it color

0Half of the mole does not look like the other half.

0 Its shape id different0The edges of the mole

are uneven, ragged or notched.

What cause’s melanoma

0Tanning outdoors0Using tanning beds0Sitting under sun lamps If you tan then you should stop tanning especially the tanning beds.

How common is melanoma

0Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, but it is not the most common. Basal cells and squamous cell skin cancers occur more often the melanoma, according to the skin cancer foundation.

0 In the United States, men have a higher rate of melanoma then women.

Symptoms 0Symptoms :

I. Itch II. Bleed III. Feel pain

0 The main symptoms of melanoma is an unusual mole.

0There are different types of melanoma

How to prevent melanoma

0 If you have melanoma you can get it remove by getting surgery

0Doctor would want to remove all the cancer first, if the cancer did not spread then its possible for the dermatologist to remove the melanoma during an office visit.

Risk Factors

0Sun Exposure: Exposure to the UV rays of suns damages our cells DNA, plus the development of melanoma when outdoors. Be sure to wear sunscreens, even in the shade.

Sources

0 http://www.siteman.wustl.edu/CancerDetails.aspx?mid=1

0 http://www.healthyfellow.com/158/melanoma-and-diet/51&id=665&xml=CDR62713.xml

0 http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/melanoma/diagnosis-treatment/melanoma-diagnosis-treatment-and-outcome

0 http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/SkinCancer-Melanoma/DetailedGuide/melanoma-skin-cancer-risk-factors

0 http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/225-uv-rays-increase-melanoma-skin-cancer-risk.html

0 http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu/hccpquiz.pl?lang=english&func=show&quiz=melanoma&page=fact_sheet

Standards

04d Students know how specialization of cells in multicellular organisms is usually due to different patterns of gene expression rather than to differences in the genes themselves.

010a Students know the role of the skin in providing nonspecific diseases against infection.