Research Question
The question that we will address is: In what ways and to what extent does Bartonella affect the mechanisms of melanoma growth and metastasis?
Introduction and Goals
Melanoma is a critical health issue, with nearly 77,000 cases and over 10,000 fatalities expected in the United States this year (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2016). Despite moderate advancements in decreasing the mortality rate and extending the life expectancy for patients with this cancer, the amount of melanoma cases has doubled in the last three decades (Emmett, 2011). Because melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, becoming `practically untreatable once it metastasizes throughout the entire body, additional factors that induce melanoma …show more content…
Malignant melanocytes, the cells found between the dermis and epidermis that produce for skin pigmentation, proliferate uncontrollably and accumulate into melanoma tumors. In melanoma's localized stage of growth, it can be surgically removed, causing 92% of patients to go into remission. However, once this cancer enters the red blood vessels and lymph nodes and metastasizes throughout the body, the survival rate decreases to 17%. Because of this, early detection and the removal of cancerous growth is essential (American Cancer Society, …show more content…
Since then, this bacterial infection has been diagnosed in over 20,000 people every year (Jackson, 1993) and is identified by symptoms such as rashes, fatigue, headaches, and lymphadenopathy, a disease in which the lymph nodes swell abnormally due to an inflammatory response (Greub, 2002). Bartonella is transmitted to humans by an asymptomatic mammal, commonly a cat that has been inoculated with the bacteria by a blood-sucking vector, such as a tick, flea, or louse. It is suspected that between 25–40% of cats carry Bartonella at some point in their lifetime (---,
The question that we will address is: In what ways and to what extent does Bartonella affect the mechanisms of melanoma growth and metastasis?
Introduction and Goals
Melanoma is a critical health issue, with nearly 77,000 cases and over 10,000 fatalities expected in the United States this year (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2016). Despite moderate advancements in decreasing the mortality rate and extending the life expectancy for patients with this cancer, the amount of melanoma cases has doubled in the last three decades (Emmett, 2011). Because melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, becoming `practically untreatable once it metastasizes throughout the entire body, additional factors that induce melanoma …show more content…
Malignant melanocytes, the cells found between the dermis and epidermis that produce for skin pigmentation, proliferate uncontrollably and accumulate into melanoma tumors. In melanoma's localized stage of growth, it can be surgically removed, causing 92% of patients to go into remission. However, once this cancer enters the red blood vessels and lymph nodes and metastasizes throughout the body, the survival rate decreases to 17%. Because of this, early detection and the removal of cancerous growth is essential (American Cancer Society, …show more content…
Since then, this bacterial infection has been diagnosed in over 20,000 people every year (Jackson, 1993) and is identified by symptoms such as rashes, fatigue, headaches, and lymphadenopathy, a disease in which the lymph nodes swell abnormally due to an inflammatory response (Greub, 2002). Bartonella is transmitted to humans by an asymptomatic mammal, commonly a cat that has been inoculated with the bacteria by a blood-sucking vector, such as a tick, flea, or louse. It is suspected that between 25–40% of cats carry Bartonella at some point in their lifetime (---,