Melanoma

Melanoma,
the Dark Side of the Sun

Monica Monge BSC 2085 October 22, 2011

Monge 2 In August 2004, during a summer vacation with my family , my mother suggested I visit a friend of hers who is a dermatologist. Several weeks before, they had been talking about my addiction to tanning, and how for many years and despite of my mother's warnings, I had always enjoyed the beach and all kind ofoutdoor activities without using sunblock. I decided to please her, and I went to the doctor. The dermatologist was examining my body skin, and everything for me seemed as a normal skin check up, until she began counting each mole on my skin which she considered could be a suspicious mole. That was the first time I realized the high risk I had taken of developing skin cancer. I was worried. Thedermatologist removed seven different small parts of my skin, and sent them to a laboratory for biopses. Thank God none of them were a problem, but since then, I have been getting more informed about skin cancer, and I have been spreading the awareness to others of this horrible disease. That is the reason why I chose this topic for my research. The medical doctors Oscar Urteaga B., and George T.Pack, from the Peruvian Society of Anatomic Pathology, assert, "The first accredited mention of Melanoma was by Hippocrates in the fifth century, B.C. The legendary rumor that this tumor was described in the Ebers Papyrus [Egyptian collection of medical texts from 1550 B.C.] is apocryphal. Laennec, a French physician, discussed the subject of Melanoma, which he called “la melanose,” before theFaculty of Medicine in Paris in 1806, and Robert Carswell, a pathologist [physician checks the accuracy of lab tests], in 1838, first employed the word Melanoma" (607). Although many people think that Melanoma is a modern disease, the fact that this disease is closely related to the sun exposure makes one think it could be in the world since the existence of human life. Melanoma is a cancer thatdevelops in melanocytes, the pigment cells present in the skin. It can be more serious than the other forms of skin cancer because it may spread to other parts of

Monge 3 the body, named metastasize, and cause serious illness and death (Rockoff and Lehrer 1). Changes in of the skin pigmentation, a new asymmetric mole, an existing mole growing and/or itching, could be a Melanoma. According to,"Cancer Facts & Figures 2010," a document issued by the American Cancer Society, "Melanoma is expected to be diagnosed in about 68,130 persons in 2010. Melanoma is primarily a disease of whites; rates are more than 50% higher in whites than in African Americans" (19). In other words, people with fair skin tones are more likely to be affected by the sun's harmful rays. Studies expose that understandingMelanoma and encouraging its early detection are crucial in surviving skin cancer. It is important to know that, more than symptoms, there are warning signs in detecting Melanoma, which are definitely reasons to look for prompt medical evaluation. These signs are outlined in what is called, as per the American Academy of Dermatology, the ABCDE rule of Melanoma: “Asymmetry: The mole is notcompletely even in appearance, Border: The margins should be even and smooth, Color: The pigmentation is not uniform, Diameter: Melanomas usually are greater than six millimeters, Evolving: Any changes over time in size, shape, symptoms, and shades of color” ("Melanoma" par. 16).

The ABCDEs of Melanoma

Asymmetry

Border

Color

Diameter

Evolving

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Monge 4 Like many cancers, Melanoma starts as premalignant lesions. When people are examining their moles, they should also pay attention to other kinds of skin growths. Small, rough patches caused by excessive sun, commonly occur on the head, neck, or hands, and it can be an early warning sign of skin cancer. Those kinds of lesions are called actinic keratosis or solar keratosis...