melanoma

(noun)

A dark-pigmented, usually malignant, tumor arising from a melanocyte and occurring most-commonly in the skin.

Related Terms

Examples of melanoma in the following topics:

  • Skin Cancer

    • It is dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as a melanoma.
    • Most melanomas are brown-to-black lesions .
    • These are called amelanotic melanomas and tend to be more aggressive.
    • In comparison, the mortality rate of melanoma is 15-20% and it causes 6,5 thousand deaths per year.
    • This image shows the brown-black color and irregular border of a melanoma.

  • Sun Damage, Sunscreen, and Sunblock

    • However, if sunscreen penetrates into the skin, it promotes indirect DNA damage, which may play a role in the most lethal form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.

  • Overview of the Body's Surface

    • One form predominantly produced by UV light, malignant melanoma, is particularly invasive, causing it to spread quickly, and can often be deadly.

  • Cancer Immunology

    • Topical immunotherapy utilizes an immune enhancement cream (imiquimod) which is an interferon producer causing the patients own killer T cells to destroy warts, actinic keratoses, basal cell cancer, vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia, squamous cell cancer, cutaneous lymphoma, and superficial malignant melanoma.

  • Breast Cancer

    • Worldwide, it comprises 22.9% of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) in women.