Melanoma Skin Cancer Essay

Although melanoma only accounts for about one percent of skin cancers diagnosed, it causes the most deaths than any other type of skin cancer (Melanoma Skin Cancer). Melanoma is a very common type of cancer that can be easily treated in its early stages, but if gone undiagnosed it can even become deadly; although, if you take the right precautions and diagnose it early, it can be cured easily through surgery, radiation treatment, etc. (Is It Melanoma). Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in the melanocytes, which are in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Melanocytes make the pigment melanin which protects our skin from the sun (Melanoma Skin Cancer). These cells will become cancerous when exposed to carcinogens, mainly UV rays. This is why people who have lighter skin tones are more susceptible to melanoma because of the lack of melanin protecting their skin (Melanoma). Melanoma occurs in five stages which are split into subdivisions. In stage 0, the melanoma hasn’t spread and is still in the epidermis. At the start of stage one, the melanoma hasn’t started to break down the skin, but by the end of the stage, it has begun to appear on the skin. The cancer hasn’t spread throughout the body yet. At the start of stage two, …show more content…
The first way is a skin examination, which is when a doctor or nurse looks for any unusual moles on the patient’s skin. If the doctor notices anything unusual, then the patient will undergo a skin biopsy. A skin biopsy is when a piece of the abnormal skin growth is removed and sent to a lab to search for any signs of melanoma. There are four types of skin biopsies. These include shave, punch, incisional, and excisional biopsies. Shave is when the growth is shaved off by a razor. Punch is when a circle of tissue is removed from the growth. Incisional is when a part of the growth is removed while excisional is when the whole growth is removed to be examined (Melanoma