Skip to main content

Everything You Need to Know About Melanoma

4 min read

By ActiveBeat Author

Cancer of the skin is by far the most common of all cancers. Current figures indicate that one in five people in the United States will develop skin cancer by the age of 70. Every hour, two Americans die of the disease. Whilst melanoma only accounts for approximately one percent of American skin cancer cases, it is particularly aggressive and responsible for a disproportionate number of deaths.

Despite its grievous mortality rate, 99 percent of people diagnosed with melanoma survive more than five years beyond diagnosis. Catching the disease in its infancy is the key to successful treatment.

What Is Melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that has the potential to spread to other organs. This cancerous growth occurs when cells known as melanocytes mutate and reproduce at an unhealthy rate.

If left unchecked, the growth may then metastasize to other areas of the body. The most common sites for metastases are the:

Melanoma becomes markedly more difficult to treat and the mortality rate significantly increases as the disease spreads around the body. It does this far faster than other forms of skin cancer.

Prevalence

The Skin Cancer Foundation projects that over 200,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2021. Of those diagnosed, approximately 7,180 will die of the disease.

Although lifestyle choices play a part in a person being diagnosed with melanoma, so do gender, age, and race. It is estimated that 4,600 men and 2,580 women will die of melanoma. However, in the over-50 demographic, melanoma is more common in women.

In the United States, melanoma is 20 times more common in white people than African Americans. The lifetime risk of contracting melanoma per ethnicity are:

Across all demographics, the risk of diagnosis increases with age.

Types of Melanoma

There are four main types of melanoma, each with its own set of characteristics.

1. Superficial Spreading Melanoma

Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM) is the most common type of melanoma. It accounts for approximately 70 percent of all recorded cases in the U.S.

This type of melanoma is called “superficial” due to its tendency to grow outward from the body across the surface of the skin, rather than inward towards the bones and organs. SSM tends to appear on the center of the body, as well as the arms and legs.

2. Nodular Melanoma

Nodular melanoma (NM) is the second most common type of melanoma, responsible for approximately 20 percent of all cases.

Unlike SSM, NM grows down through the skin layers before spreading across the surface of the body. This causes it to spread far faster than all other forms of melanoma.

3. Lentigo Maligna Melanoma

Most commonly seen in older people, lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) usually occurs on areas of the body exposed to the sun’s rays. Like SSM, LM grows outward over the skin before growing in towards the bones and organs.

4. Acral Lentiginous Melanoma

Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is most prevalent in patients with dark skin, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Unlike other forms of melanoma that mostly affect areas of exposed skin, ALM mainly occurs on the soles of the feet or under the fingernails.

Signs and Symptoms

The American Cancer Society asks people to look out for the following two symptoms to catch the disease early and increase the chance of successful treatment:

  1. A mole, lump, or growth on the skin that is changing color or shape.
  2. A spot that looks different to any other spots on your body.

Always remember the ABCDE rule:

Risk Factors

There are several risk factors that will increase your chances of contracting melanoma. They are:

Treatment

Treatment tactics depend on the stage of the melanoma and where it’s located on the body.

There are five main courses of treatment available:

  1. Surgical removal of the affected area
  2. Chemotherapy
  3. Radiotherapy
  4. Immunotherapy
  5. Personalized therapy

If you have any concerns or further questions, or if you think you may be suffering from melanoma, please contact your doctor.

ActiveBeat Author

Contributor

Your Health

Explore

What Do Your Blood Test Results Mean? A Toxicologist Explains the Basics of How to Interpret Them
By Brad Reisfeld Your Health

What Do Your Blood Test Results Mean? A Toxicologist Explains the Basics of How to Interpret Them

Your blood serves numerous roles to maintain your health. To carry out these functions, blood contains a multitude of components, including red blood cells that transport oxygen, nutrients and hormones; white blood cells that remove waste products and support the immune system; plasma that regulates temperature; and platelets that help with clotting. Within the blood […]

Read More about What Do Your Blood Test Results Mean? A Toxicologist Explains the Basics of How to Interpret Them

5 min read

Dietary Supplements and Protein Powders Fall Under a ‘Wild West’ of Unregulated Products That Necessitate Caveats And Caution
By Emily Hemendinger and Katie Suleta Your Health

Dietary Supplements and Protein Powders Fall Under a ‘Wild West’ of Unregulated Products That Necessitate Caveats And Caution

Dietary supplements are a big business. The industry made almost US$39 billion in revenue in 2022, and with very little regulation and oversight, it stands to keep growing. The marketing of dietary supplements has been quite effective, with 77% of Americans reporting feeling that the supplement industry is trustworthy. The idea of taking your health […]

Read More about Dietary Supplements and Protein Powders Fall Under a ‘Wild West’ of Unregulated Products That Necessitate Caveats And Caution

5 min read

Strep A Explainer: Why Invasive Cases Are Increasing, How It Spreads and What Symptoms to Look For
By John McCormick and Juan Manuel Diaz Your Health

Strep A Explainer: Why Invasive Cases Are Increasing, How It Spreads and What Symptoms to Look For

A jump in the number of people with serious illness caused by group A Streptococcus — also referred to as Streptococcus pyogenes or Strep A — has made headlines recently. There has also been a higher than usual number of deaths from group A Streptococcus infections, including in children, leaving people with questions about why […]

Read More about Strep A Explainer: Why Invasive Cases Are Increasing, How It Spreads and What Symptoms to Look For

4 min read