MELANOMA DISEASE
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that appears when pigment-producing cells mutate and become cancerous. Most pigment cells are found in the skin, although melanoma can also occur in the eyes and in other parts of the body, such as the intestines (this is rare).
Causes of melanoma
- High sun exposure or tendency to develop freckles after sun exposure.
- High number of moles.
- Pale skin that doesn't tan easily.
- Having brown birth marks.
- Light-colored hair ( blond, red-haired...)
- Age ( risk increases with age ).
- Family or personal history of melanoma.
- Being female.
- Having an organ transplant.
Symptoms of melanoma
As with other forms of cancer, the early stages of melanoma may not produce any symptoms. This is why actively checking skin to spot early signs of the disease is important.
- Skin change - a new spot or mole or a change in color, shape, or size of a current spot or mole.
- Skin sore that fails to heal.
- Spot or sore that becomes painful or bleeds.
- A firm red lump that bleeds or appears with a crust.
- A flat, red spot that is scaly.
Treatments
The treatment of skin cancer is similar as the treatment of others cancers, except the fact that being an outer disease allows doctors to completely remove it. Because of that, surgery is the most common treatment for melanoma.
Other, less common treatments for skin cancer include chemotherapy or biological therapy (drugs that work with the immune system).
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