Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes,
a type of cell present in the epidermis. Because
most of these cells keep on making melanin, or
pigment, melanoma tumors are often brown or black.
Melanoma most often appears on the trunk of fair-skinned
men and on the lower legs of fair-skinned women,
but it can appear other places as well. Having
dark skin lowers the risk of melanoma, but it
doesn’t
mean a dark skinned person will never develop melanoma.
Melanoma is almost always curable in its early stages,
but it is also likely to spread to other parts of
the body. Melanoma is much less common than basal
cell and squamous cell skin cancers, but it is far
more serious.
Cancer of the skin is the most common of all cancers.
Melanoma accounts for about 4% of skin cancer cases,
but it causes about 79% of skin cancer deaths. Unfortunately,
the number of new cases of melanoma in the United
States is on the rise.
Source: American Cancer Society
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