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Melanoma Therapeutics Foundation
Melanoma
Facts
Melanoma is a curable form of skin cancer if found early,
which usually develops from a mole or even a freckle. However,
it can appear from unblemished skin.
If not treated early and appropriately melanoma can spread
to lymph nodes and sometimes into the bloodstream where it
acts like any other cancer and can be fatal.
Melanoma risk is related to sunlight damage of the skin and
the number of moles you have.
People with sun sensitive skin, who burn and freckle easily,
or who have lots of moles, are at greater risk of developing
all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma. They must therefore
be even more careful to check their skin regularly.
Most sunlight damage to skin occurs during childhood and adolescence.
This is therefore the time when special care is needed to prevent
over exposure
The risk of melanoma has steadily increased since 1935 from
1:1500 to 1:74 in 2000.
Multiple risk factors exist for developing melanoma.
a. UV exposure
b. Moles-especially atypical and dysplastic moles
c. Over 50 moles on the person
Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account
for about 62,190 cases of skin cancer in 2006 and most (about
7,910) of the 10,710 deaths due to skin cancer each year.
For localized melanoma, the 5-year survival rate is 98%; survival
rates for regional and distant stage diseases are 64% and 16%,
respectively. About 83% of melanomas are diagnosed at a localized
stage.
No significant advances in medical therapies (or survival)
for patients with advanced melanoma have occurred in the past
15 years.
Your help is needed.
EDUCATIONAL LINKS
American Society of Clinical Oncology http://www.asco.org
FDA, Food and Drug Administration http://www.fda.gov/
CEDR, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research http://www.fda.gov/cder/
NCI melanoma website http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/melanoma
MedlinePlus melanoma http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/melanoma.html
American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp
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