In honor of the upcoming summer season I am posting information from the Melanoma Research Alliance in order to get the news out about this life-threatening cancer in hopes of leading to prevention, early detection and eventually a cure.
I invite you to visit the Melanoma Research Alliance website at https://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma and read about Melanoma in greater depth. If you don’t visit their website, please read and share what you learn here with your family, friends and loved ones.
What is Melanoma?
Melanoma is a cancer of pigment producing-cells called melanocytes. Most melanomas originate from the skin, though they can also arise from other parts of the body containing melanocytes, including the eyes, brain or spinal cord, or mucous membranes.
The ability to spread widely to other parts of the body is a unique characteristic of melanoma that the other more common skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, rarely possess. This characteristic makes melanoma the deadliest of all skin cancers.
How Common is Melanoma?
Melanoma of the skin is one of the most common cancers in the United States – among the top 10 causes of new cancer cases.
- In the United States each year, more than 76,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma – an average of one person every eight minutes.
- The incidence of melanoma has tripled in the last 30 years.
- Melanoma is the most common cancer diagnosis in young adults 25-29 years old in the United States and the second most common cancer in young people 15-29.
What is the Survival Rate for Melanoma?
The survival rate for melanoma depends a lot on the stage of the cancer. While the overall five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with melanoma is high at 92 percent, the survival rate decreases dramatically once melanoma spreads to other parts of the body.
Very early stage (localized, Stage 0 or I) melanoma is greater than 90 percent curable with surgery, while patients with melanoma that has progressed to Stage 4 have a median life expectancy of less than one year. But there have been many new treatments approved for advanced melanoma in recent years, which have had great benefit to many patients with advanced melanoma. https://www.curemelanoma.org/about-melanoma
According to the Melanoma Research Alliance and other cancer organizations, the best strategy for improving outcomes right now is prevention and early detection. So once again, please take this information to heart. Wear sunscreen and protective clothing when you must be outdoors in the sun. Wear sunglasses. Check your body frequently for spots and moles that have changed shape and/or color.
