Melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor that develops in the melanocytes - cells that produce melanin and are found in skin, hair and eye membranes. Melanin is a substance that determines skin color pigmentosa.
Melanoma is a rare but serious skin cancer, because metastasize rapidly, invading other organs. Though melanoma is only 5% of skin cancers, it causes 75% of deaths from skin cancer.
The most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma affects mainly people over 50 years and represents 90% of skin cancers. Evolution is very slow and low metastasis ability.Discovered and treated early stage, 90% of melanoma cases can be treated successfully.
Early detection of skin cancer this is the best method of reducing mortality. The success rate in treating skin cancer is hypothetically 100% if all cases were treated before the appearance of metastases. Hence the importance of a medical examination at the first signs of suspicion, even more as the first manifestation of cancer is not painful. Although parts of the body exposed to the sun shows a high risk of skin cancer can develop in any region of the body.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancers, artificial sources of radiation are also criminalized. Risks to develop this type of cancer depend on geographical area: South Africa and Australia recorded the highest number of cases (people with white skin).For carcinomas, the adverse outcome is cumulative exposure to ultraviolet radiation: effects on skin may begin in childhood and increase throughout life. In contrast, when melanomas, it seems that intense exposure, especially that caused by sunburn, can be extremely dangerous.Incidence of skin cancer increases every year by 5% worldwide.The average age of diagnosis of melanoma is 53 years. However, melanoma is the most common cancer in women 25-29 years old and in second place after breast cancer in women 30 -34 years.