What Is Melanoma?

Melanoma is a very serious form of skin cancer. It begins in the cells which make the skin pigment called melanin. Although melanoma accounts for only about 4% of all skin cancer cases, it causes most skin cancer-related deaths. The good news is that melanoma is often curable if it is detected and treated in its early stages.

In men, melanoma is found most often on the area between the shoulders and hips, or on the head and neck. In women, melanoma often develops on the lower legs. It may also appear under the fingernails or toenails or on the palms or soles. The chance of developing melanoma increases with age, but it affects all age groups and is one of the most common cancers in young adults.

How Common Is Melanoma?

The number of new melanomas diagnosed in the United States is increasing. Since 1973, the incidence rate for melanoma (the number of new melanomas diagnosed per 100,000 people each year) has more than doubled from 5.7 to 14.31. Between 1980 and 2003, melanoma cases more than tripled among Caucasians!

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 59,580 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States during 2005. About 7,770 people in the US are expected to die of melanomas during 2005.

How Does Melanoma Develop?

When melanoma starts in the skin, it is called cutaneous melanoma. Melanoma may also occur in the eye (ocular melanoma or intraocular melanoma) and, rarely, in other areas where melanocytes are found, such as the digestive tract, meninges, or lymph nodes. When melanoma spreads (metastasis), cancer cells are also found in the lymph nodes and possibly also other parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, or brain. In these cases, the cancer cells are still melanoma cells, and the disease is called metastatic melanoma.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology Web site
¹,² American Cancer Society's 2005 Facts & Figures