Cancer Resources

Is a mole, lesion or skin discoloration that’s causing you some concern? You may have wondered or started worrying about possibly having malignant melanoma. You may be wondering what does melanoma look like and what are the stages, signs and symptoms? Melanomas usually have uneven borders and do not have the same shape all around. They can start out as a mole and turn into a melanoma, which is a malignant, meaning a cancerous lesion.

One of the big reasons to catch melanoma early is that it is not confined to the area on your skin where it’s found and can spread fast. Many skin cancers are local only; they are not systemic, meaning they may not involve other parts of your body. But melanoma is different. It involves your whole body and your immune system so you want to catch it early.

Most moles don’t change. If yours has changed or is changing, then make sure to look at the following. Continue reading ‘What Does Melanoma Look Like? – Nurse's Report’ »

We are constantly being told to avoid the sun as much as possible. We are told to cover up and nearly every skin product that we buy seems to contain sunscreen. However, now there is some evidence that a small amount of sun exposure may actually be healthy.

There are two most frequent reasons that we are told to avoid exposure to the sun are skin cancer and aging. This article is going to discuss some new studies on melanoma, how the situation may not be so straightforward, and some evidence that a small sensible amount of exposure to sunlight may have health benefits.

There are a number of types of skin cancer, with melanoma being the one that scares us. Other precancerous and cancerous lesions such as actinic keratoses, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma are much more common. These other types of skin cancer, particularly if they are detected early, are in most cases very treatable. Continue reading ‘Melanoma – Rate Not Increasing and Some Sun is Good’ »

How Is Melanoma Diagnosed?

Your doctor will remove a sample area of your skin if she thinks that a change in your skin is a sign of a melanoma. Your tissue sample, called a biopsy, is sent to a laboratory for examination by a specialist, called a pathologist. The pathologist will study your tissue sample under a microscope to confirm your doctor’s diagnosis. Sometimes your doctor will have the equipment in their own office to do a preliminary examination of the tissue.

The best way to treat an early stage melanoma is to have it surgically removed. Melanoma in later stages can require much more extensive treatment because it may have spread to other areas of the body. The best way of dealing with melanoma is to detect it in the early stages and remove it as early as possible. Regular skin exams are the key to catching melanoma early. Continue reading ‘Check Your Skin Regularly to Detect Melanoma Early’ »

We mostly blame the sun for melanoma. UV radiation from the sun can damage the DNA in your cells. Sometimes the damage is to the certain genetic code that controls how and when your cells grow and divide. When that happens cells begin to grow out of control and eventually we call it a cancer (melanoma to be precise).

Causes of Melanoma

Most UV radiation is from the sun, but there are other common sources of UV radiation. The most common source of UV radiation (aside from the sun) is a tanning bed. Be careful when using a tanning bed – don’t overdo it!

Most UV exposure that leads to skin cancer occurred to people in their childhood or young adult years. Children and young adults usually get a lot of intense sun exposure when they are young, but the resultant cancer may not show up for years or decades! Continue reading ‘What Causes Melanoma and Who is Likely to Get It?’ »

Those who participate in a melanoma clinical trial, or any other type of clinical trial, play a large role in the development of new treatments, procedures and medications. While test tube (in vitro) and animal studies may give some indication of the effectiveness and safety of treatments, volunteers are necessary to see whether the treatment will also work in humans.

There are both pros and cons associated with participation in a clinical trial. Pros include access to new or innovative treatments, the potential to be one of the first beneficiaries of a treatment, the opportunity to play a role in what may help thousands of other patients and medical attention from some of the best doctors and scientists in the world. Cons include the possibility of the participant’s condition worsening because the new treatment isn’t as effective or because they were chosen for the control group, exposure to unknown side effects or risks, undergoing an increased number of tests or giving up time or money to participate. Continue reading ‘Melanoma Clinical Trial – What Are the Pro's and Con's?’ »

The most common form of cancer is skin cancer. Over one million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year. About 60,000 of those people will be diagnosed with melanoma. Melanoma is the more serious type of skin cancer.

Although melanoma is a very serious form of skin cancer, it can be detected early and usually treated successfully. As with all cancers, early detection is the key to successful treatment.

Skin cancer comes in three main types: basal cell, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Basal and squamous cell cancers seldom become life threatening. But melanoma can be life-threatening if it is not detected early enough to get proper treatment. Continue reading ‘Melanoma is a Skin Cancer That Can Be Cured – If it is Detected Early’ »

Moles are usually pretty small – about six millimeters or less in diameter, which is about the size of a pencil eraser. Ordinary moles are evenly colored across the entire mole – usually brown, but also tan or flesh-colored. They are either flat (even with the surrounding skin) or raised above the surrounding skin. Moles are usually round or oval shaped with sharply defined borders.

You can be born with a mole, but often they appear later during the first few decades of life. Occasionally several moles will appear at the same time on sun-exposed skin. After a mole is fully developed, it will usually remain the same size, color and shape for many years. Many times a mole will fade with age. Continue reading ‘Is it a Mole Or a Melanoma?’ »

After skin cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer, Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer type occurring in women across the globe. There are many types of colon cancer: Carcinoid Tumors, Lymphoma, Melanoma and Sarcomas. However, the most common of all the colon cancers is Colon Carcinoma.

A colon in the human body is a long, coiled tube shaped organ, which helps in removing water from the digested food. It is also called the large intestine or the large bowel having four sections: Ascending Colon, Transverse Colon, Descending Colon and Sigmoid Colon. Colon cancer is a type of cancer, which forms in the colon tissues. It is often referred to as colorectal cancer. Colon cancers usually are adenocarcinomas, which mean that they begin in cells releasing mucus and other type of fluids.

Who Are At Risk Of Having Colon Cancer?

Colon cancer is responsible for most of the deaths elated to cancer, but doctors say that an early diagnosis can reduce the risk. Immediate action can also lead to full cure of a patient. The risk of having colon cancer increases, if you:

Continue reading ‘Understanding Colon Cancer’ »

Skin Cancer is one of the most common types of cancer with about one in five Americans being affected each year. The incidence of the cancer of the skin has been recorded to have risen over the years with the increase in the level of risk factor and carcinogens in the environment.

Though there are three common form of skin cancer; the Basal cell carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma and Melanoma, the first two are not very serious and can be treated and cured easily. The third type, Melanoma, the cancer of the melanocyte is the most severe of the lot and causes the most number of skin cancer associated death around the world.

What are the main causes of Skin Cancer? Continue reading ‘Skin Cancer Causes, Treatments and Effects’ »

The prognosis for melanoma can be very good, especially when detected early.

The melanoma signs can appear anywhere on your body, but they most often appear on areas that have had the most sun exposure such as your face, arms, back and legs. It can also appear on other areas that have had very little sun exposure, such as under your feet, palms of your hands and at the fingernails. It is more common for people with dark skin to have these hidden melanomas.

One needs to be very aware of the dangers of radiation from the sun and tanning beds. All too often people raise their own risk of melanoma due to overexposure to ultraviolet rays. It needs to be kept in mind that melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer.

So what is the prognosis of melanoma?

Well it’s similar to any skin cancer prognosis in that it depends on the staging. Whereas the two other most common types of skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell) grow slower and are usually more detectable in the early stages, the melanoma staging can advance more quickly and undetected.

What appears as a simple mole on your skin can be travelling inward without you even knowing. Continue reading ‘Prognosis For Melanoma’ »