Skin Cancer Melanoma, Causes and Diagnosis
Skin Cancer Melanoma is a type of cancer that develops in the melanocytes, the pigment cells of the skin that serves as producing melanin. Melanin this is that absorbs ultraviolet rays and protects the skin from damage.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that is rare and extremely dangerous. This condition begins from human skin and can spread to other organs in the body. The emergence of new moles or changes of existing moles usually become a common sign or symptoms of melanoma. This could happen in the rest of the body, but some parts of the body that often experiencing its emergence are:
- Face
- Hand
- The back
- Walk
Melanoma has an irregular shape and more than one color. Moles are afflicted by melanoma can itch and may bleed, moreover, its size can also exceed the normal moles. To distinguish normal moles and melanoma, ABCDE list already developed for people.
Melanoma Skin Cancer Sufferers in the World
According to data from the WHO, there are about 132,000 cases of melanoma appear every year around the world. Each of the 3 cases of cancer found one case of melanoma and it is estimated this will continue to increase because of the ozone layer in the sky that keeps thinning. A 10 percent reduction in the ozone layer alone can lead to increased incidence of skin cancer melanoma in amount 4500 of new cases.
The melanoma risk of greater on women aged under 40 years of age. This type of skin cancer can be fatal if not diagnosed in the beginning.
Melanoma Skin Cancer Causes
Melanoma occurs when the skin's pigment cells develop abnormally. Some people think the cause of the rise of melanoma due to skin that is too often exposed to ultraviolet light (UV) natural or artificial. Although almost all cases of melanoma are related to the effects of ultraviolet rays on the skin, the exact cause is still unknown.
Sunlight is the main source of ultraviolet which can affect the skin. In most cases, melanoma is allegedly caused by exposure to sunlight. But please be aware that not all melanomas are associated with exposure to ultraviolet light, as this condition can still appear on the skin areas that are rarely exposed to sunlight.
There are two main types of ultraviolet light that can penetrate the ozone layer in the Earth's atmosphere, namely ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). If it is too long and repeatedly exposed to UVA and UVB rays, the skin will be damaged and make it more susceptible to skin cancer (including melanoma)
.Increased Risk Of
All of the factors below makes your skin becomes more sensitive to the adverse impact of sunlight. Factors that can increase the risk of developing melanoma is:
- Have a lot of moles.
- Have a lot of freckles on the skin.
- There are areas of skin burning or after undergoing treatment with radiotherapy.
- Skin pale who burn easily and skin hard to change so black.
- Has blue eyes and reddish hair or blonde.
- Age Aging.
- Conditions that lower the immune system, such as HIV.
- Drugs that lower the immune system (immunosuppression), this type of medication is usually consumed after undergoing organ transplantation.
- Ever been diagnosed with skin cancer.
- There are family members who suffered from melanoma or other skin cancer types.
- Exposure to the chemical compounds in the form of compounds of arsenic or creosote peptisida products.
The Diagnosis Of Melanoma Skin Cancer
The doctor will check the condition of your skin and decide whether you need further examination by a specialist. This is the beginning of the process before the diagnose melanoma.
Biopsy
If the doctor suspects a mole who checked as melanoma, you will be referred to see a doctor is a specialist skin (Dermatology) or plastic surgery specialist for further examination.
Specialist leather or plastic surgeon will probably do a biopsy. A small operation to remove the moles for melanoma chances are further examined with a microscope. This process is done to find out if a mole it is cancer or not. A biopsy is usually done by means of a local anesthetic. The area around the Mole will be made numb (numbing) and you will not feel pain.
Further operations need to be performed if a mole that is cancer. In most cases, this surgery is done to remove part of the affected skin cancer and treated by a plastic surgeon.
Advanced test
Further tests need to be done to you if there is a concern that there are cancers that have already spread to other organs, such as to the bone or into Your circulatory system. Other tests that may be done include:
- A blood test
- X-ray imaging
- An Mri Scan
- Ct Scan
Biopsy Sentinel Lymph Nodes
The pattern of the early spread of melanoma generally spreads through the channel in a layer of skin called the lymphatic system, heading a group of nearby lymph nodes. They can be found anywhere in the body. The glands that are part of the immune system helps destroy bacteria and unwanted particles in the body.
Collection of melanoma in a very small amount is able to spread through the lymphatic system vessels towards the lymph nodes. E.g. melanoma in arms often spread to the lymph nodes in the armpit. While melanoma on the legs is often spread to the lymph nodes in the groin.
The process which is conducted specialist plastic surgeon named biopsy sentinel lymph nodes is a test to determine if the melanoma in a very small amount has already spread to the lymph nodes. Small deployments typically not visible on X-ray test results, but are more easily known by process of biopsy lymph nodes sentinel.
The combined blue ink and weak radioactive elements will be added by plastic surgeon around the wound before surgical removal of a portion of the skin. Just as cell melanoma, ink blue, and radioactive elements will flow follow the lymphatic channels in the skin. Logically, the combined elements that will be heading into the first lymph nodes, lymph nodes is the same as that targeted by cancer, this is called the sentinel lymph nodes.
With blue ink and radioactive elements that have been injected, the sentinel node could be found and was appointed, while the node that does not infect normally left. The node will be submitted at a specialist of pathology to inspect, identify, or separating very small melanoma cells. The entire process can take several weeks.
For patients with lymph nodes who have already infected the melanoma, there is most likely a melanoma has already spread to other places. If the sentinel lymph nodes are clean from melanoma, then certainly other lymph nodes are also clean.