Melanoma Skin Cancer

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Cancers are caused by a mixture of environmental and genetic factors. Skin cancer is also a mixture of the two, but the environment truly plays a greater role. Skin cancers are related to excessive exposure to sunlight. Ultraviolet light can damage DNA, and change the cell’s genetic material. The type that occurs most frequently is basal cell carcinoma, which spreads only locally and not to other parts of the body. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second type of skin cancer and the third type of skin cancer is melanoma, which is more dangerous. Skin cancer may be treated by cutting away, radiation, or freezing. Cancer begins when one or more genes in a cell mutate. This either creates an abnormal protein or no protein at all, both of which cause mutated cells to multiply uncontrollably. Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer. Melanomas arise from moles, which are clusters of melanin containing melanocytes. Excessive sunburn during childhood is linked to developing melanoma. Melanoma is a cancer of the pigment cells that are responsible for skin color and the tanning effect, caused from continuous chronic exposure of sunlight resulting into a sunburn. Melanoma arises from small pigmented moles on the skin. Moles arise due to the clumping together of melanocytes in the skin. Most melanomas start as slow growing tumors that spread horizontally only in the epidermis and extend upward. Melanoma can develop in non skin areas of the body that contain pigment cells such as the eyes, digestive tract, and lymph nodes. The color of human eyes, skin and hair is primarily controlled by the amount and type of a pigment called melanin. Specialized cells known as melanocytes produce the melanin, storing it in intracellular compartments known as melanosomes. The overall number of melanocytes is equivalent for all people, however the level of melanin inside each

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