What Are Symptoms Of Malignant Melanoma ?

Author: AdrianFletcher
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The awareness of skin cancer increases everyday as more is known about the disease and more exposure is given to preventing the disease on television and radio than ever before. It is thought to be the most common form of cancer in the United States and Australia alone.

Whilst this might be alarming, most forms of skin cancer are not life threatening and can be treated. The fact that most of the signs of the disease are on the surface of the skin means that they can be identified and treated early on with complete success.

However malignant melanoma does not fit into this category. If not spotted early and treated it can spread. Ultimately it can be life threatening if not treated early enough. This article will detail what is malignant melanoma and the best ways to avoid getting this disease.

There are two factors that are thought to cause cancer. These are your genetic makeup and exposure to one or more environmental conditions. As far as malignant melanoma is concerned, the environmental condition that causes the disease is ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVB radiation - ultraviolet radiation on different wavelengths). We are exposed to UVA and UVB radiation everyday as it comes from the Sun.

Too much ultraviolet radiation can mutate the DNA of a cell, making it cancerous. The genes in the DNA that cause this become known as oncogenes. Cells that have undergone this transformation do not die but divide and proliferate. They grow at an unregulated rate. As they continue to multiply their growth can become invasive.

This means they interfere with surrounding tissue or organs causing them to malfunction or be destroyed. If cancerous cells get into the bloodstream or lymphatic system, then they can spread to other parts of the body. This is known as metastasizing. When cancer spreads to the rest of the body it gets very difficult to treat.

Current research suggests that the prime cause of malignant melanoma is exposure to ultraviolet radiation. And since it is virtually impossible to not be exposed to sunlight in some way, the Sun is the primary cause of melanoma. However other factors are thought to increase the chances of developing the disease.

Having a family member who has or had skin cancer in the past increases your chances of developing the disease. If your skin burns easily in the sun and turns red rather than tanning then you are more at risk. If you have light colored eyes or blond or red hair then you are more at risk. If you have moles on your body then you are more at risk to skin cancer.

Typically, a brown spot or mark on the surface of the skin could be the first sign of a melanoma. If you already have moles on your body then it may be hard to differentiate between an ordinary mole and a melanoma. however, if the spot or mark starts to change in color or grow larger and in an irregular shape then you should see your doctor.

It is virtually impossible to completely avoid sunlight and thus prevent melanoma. The only thing that is practical is to take measure to avoid being over exposed to the Sun. This means always wearing a hat and sunglasses. Wear clothing that covers most of your body. Put sunscreen on areas that are not covered by the clothing, like the face or arms.