Download Nodular Melanoma.

Cory Klinger
Korey Kainec
Ian Behra
What is Melanoma??
 Melanoma is a malignant tumor. If not found early,
melanoma can ne very dangerous.
 It is responsible for about 75% of deaths related to skin
cancer
What it looks like…
 Melanoma can often times be confused with regular
skin moles. There is a helpful system that can be used
to determine what exactly melanoma looks like.
A- asymmetrical
B- borders are uneven
C- color; usually ranges in patchy areas.
D- diameter; typically more than ¼ inch
E- Evolve or enlarge
 All of the above traits describe what melanoma looks
like.
A picture…
Where does it come from?
 Melanoma come from melanocytes. These are cells
located in the skins epidermis. They produce melanin
or a pigment.
Causes…
 Melanoma is caused by damage to the DNA. When the
DNA become damaged it causes the cell to grow into a
tumor. DNA damage is most often caused by UV light
from the sun.
 Melanoma can be inherited from genetic mutation
(any event causing change in genetic structure).
 Melanoma builds up over a persons life and is usually
caused by factors in the environment.
The Stages of Melanoma
 The stages of melanoma with survival rate (%)
Stage 0: Clark Level (99.9%)
Stage 1: Invasive Melanoma (85-99%)
Stage 2: High Risk Melanoma(40-85%)
Stage 3: Regional Metastasis (25-60%)
Stage 4: Distant Metastasis (9-15%)
The Clark Level
Level 1: Melanoma confined to Epidermis
Level 2: Invasion into the Papillary dermis
Level 3: Invasion into the junction of Reticular dermis
Level 4: Invasion into reticular dermis
Level 5: Invasion into subcutaneous fat
The staging system used to recognize the invasion of
melanoma into the skin
Do ya got it?
 Early signs: new lumps/moles, or changes in
shape/color of existing moles.
 Later signs: moles itch and/or bleed
 The ABCDE Method is helpful in recognizing early
sings of melanoma.
 Other symptoms include: loss of appetite, fatigue,
nausea, and vomiting.
Treatments!!??
 Melanoma can be removed through several surgeries
or biopsies. Further surgery would need to be done in
order to prevent recurrence. In Metastasis, the
melanoma spreads to other parts of the body and is
difficult to treat.
 Melanoma can be cured during the early stages. Some
other methods include Chemotherapy,
immunotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Additional Facts
 There are many forms of Melanoma.
 The most aggressive form of Melanoma is Nodular
Melanoma.
 Nodular Melanoma tends to grow rapidly and is more
thick. As opposed to most types of melanoma, nodular
melanoma grows on areas of the skin that did not have
pre-existing lesions.
Nodular Melanoma
Prevention and Support
 The best way to prevent from melanoma is to avoid
exposure to UV radiation. Sunscreen is recommended for
long exposures to the sun. Avoid Tanning Beds!!!!
 There are several support groups for melanoma. Two of the
largest being the American Melanoma Foundation, and the
Skin Cancer Community.
 http://www.melanomafoundation.org/AMF/patient.htm
 http://exchanges.webmd.com/melanoma-and-skin-
cancer-exchange
Resources
 http://www.melanoma.com/whatis.html
 http://www.susanfazio.org/mucosalmelanoma.html
 http://www.malignant-melanoma.org/surgery/lymph-
node-dissection-surgery/
 http://skincancer.about.com/od/diagnosis/a/staging.h
tm
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13973
58/