| Melanoma is a malignant tumor, formed
in melanocytes, the cells responsible for generating melanin. Due
to this reason, melanoma often acquires a brown or black color. In
the United States, melanoma is the eighth most common malignancy.
Melanoma is categorized as insitu and invasive melanoma. In Latin,
'insitu' means localized. It occupies only the top layer of the
skin. The invasive melanomas are more serious and difficult to
cure. They go deeper into the skin. Melanomas are divided into
four groups. The first three start as insitu and later become
invasive. The fourth form of melanoma is invasive from the
beginning.
The most common type of melanoma is superficial spreading
melanoma. The maximum number of cases reported, are cases of
superficial spreading melanoma. It occupies the top layer of the
skin for a long time before becoming invasive.
Lentigo maligna is an invasive form of melonama. It affects the
top layer of the skin for a long time before going deeper. It
mainly affects the older age group. Due to a constantly exposure
to the sun, this condition occurs in the ears, arms and upper
trunk.
Acral lentiginous melanoma is the third form of melanoma. It is
found in people with darker skin. It is more common among Asians
and African-Americans. It also spreads along the top layer of skin
before turning invasive.
Nodular melanoma is the fourth type of melanoma. It is the most
aggressive form of melanoma. At the time of its diagnosis, it is
invasive. The most frequently affected areas are arms, legs, trunk
and the scalp, especially in older people.
In some families, people have strange-looking moles that may
show signs of cancer. It is essential for such people to have
regular check-ups to detect the cancerous cells in time and
increase the chances of healing.
If you have questions related to this article you may e-mail me
at doctor@soontongkiong.com quoting the contents of the article.
About the author
DR SOON is a medical practitioner. He holds four degrees. MBBS
(University of Malaya), MBA (University of East Asia), LLB (Hons)
(University of Wolverhampton), Master of Medicine (Edith Cowan
University
:
Dr SOON is the owner of AskMyVisitor.com and MyScriptDoctor.com
where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information
on
many medical, health and lifestyle topics.
|
