Melanoma: What You Need to Know About Diagnosis and Treatment

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Melanoma What You Need to Know About Diagnosis
and Treatment
By The Doctor Weighs In
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• Melanoma is known as malignant melanoma or
  cutaneous melanoma, an aggressive form of skin
  cancer. It arises from the cells that give skin
  its color, the pigment-producing cells present in
  the epidermis called melanocytes.

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What are The Risk Factors for Melanoma?

1. Sun exposure
2. Fair skin
3. Moles
4. History of skin cancer
5. A family history of melanomaWeakened immune
   system

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The Signs Symptoms of Melanoma

• Benign healthy moles are far more common than
  melanomas. But distinguishing between the two can
  be difficult. Any change in an existing mole or
  the development of a new pigmented or
  unusual-looking new mole may be the first signs
  of melanoma.

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The ABCDE Guideline

• An analytical method to help detect early
  melanoma is the ABCDE guideline. Some or all of
  these features are manifested in most melanomas
• Asymmetry one half of the growth does not look
  like the other half
• Border Irregularity- Edges of the mole are uneven
  or blurred
• Color Variability uneven coloring or multiple
  shades of color, like brown, black, and red
• Diameter Larger than 5 mm in size (the size of
  a pencil eraser)
• Evolving or Changing any change in appearance
  (size, shape, or color) or if the growth bleeds
  or itches

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What are The Different Types of Melanoma?
There are several different types of melanoma.
The most common type is superficial spreading
melanoma.
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Superficial Spreading Melanoma
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Nodular Melanoma
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Lentigo Maligna Melanoma
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Acral-lentiginous Melanoma
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Amelanotic Melanoma Variant
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How Do You Stage Malignant Melanoma?

• The staging system most often used for
  melanomas is based on the American Joint
  Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM system. The TNM
  staging system is a very detailed system.
• T The T refers to the size and extent of the
  primary tumor.
• N Refers to the number of nearby lymph nodes
  where cancer is detected on pathologic exam.
• M Whether the tumor has metastasized to spread
  to regional lymph nodes or to other organs or
  areas of the body.
• Physicians and cancer registries often refer to a
  five-stage system that groups the TNM stages into
  a less-detailed staging system.

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What is The Prognosis of Malignant Melanoma?
The prognosis of melanoma patients depends on the
stage of the disease at the time of initial
presentation.
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What is The Treatment for Malignant Melanoma?
The type of treatment for melanoma depends on the
location, size, and stage of the cancer. It also
depends on the patients health and, on patients
personal preferences.
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Prevention

• To reduce the risk of melanoma and other skin
  cancer types
• Avoid midday sun exposure Sunlight intensity is
  strongest between 10 AM and 4 PM. Therefore, you
  should schedule daily activities in the early
  morning or later in the afternoon when possible.
  And remember to do this even in the winter and on
  cloudy days.
• Seek shade especially midday when the suns rays
  are most intense.
• Sunscreen Liberally apply a broad-spectrum
  sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on all
  exposed surfaces year-round. Be sure to reapply
  it often, especially after sweating or swimming.
• Avoid tanning lamps and tanning beds.
• Perform monthly self-exams With the help of a
  hand-held mirror, examine the skin on all body
  parts. Look for new growths or changes in
  existing moles, freckles, or birthmarks.

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The Bottom Line

• To summarize, melanoma is an aggressive skin
  cancer but it is treatable even curable if
  caught early.
• To Read The Full Article, Please Click here
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Contact Us

• The Doctor Weighs In
• Website https//thedoctorweighsin.com/
• Email info_at_thedoctorweighsin.com

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