Melanoma is a cancerous disease of the melanocytes. Melanocytes are epithelial cells of the skin that cause pigmentation. This cancer can be incredibly dangerous because it is not easily seen and spreads rapidly. This research paper discusses the causes of both physical and hereditary melanoma, ways to decrease risk of development, and forms of treatment.
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer which can become fatal if left untreated. It is uncommon among the variety of skin diseases, but it is the most deadly type (Sutton, 2015.) It can be caused by physical factors like sun exposure, or through hereditary genes. Both ways are just as harmful to the body and can cause serious damage or even death. In 2013, the mortality rate of melanoma in those between seventy-five and eighty-four years of age reached twenty-four percent (Diao & Lee, 2013).
Because melanoma is a cancer of the melanocytes, or pigment cells, it parallels with topics discussed in human anatomy and physiology class. Melanocytes are epithelial cells that create the pigment in skin. They are an important subsection of the histology chapter included in the course. Extensive research for this cancer is being conducted because of its aggressive nature and high mortality rate. Awareness for this disease is critically important because there are very simple ways to significantly reduce the risk of contracting it.
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Melanoma is most often a result of overexposure to ultraviolet rays on the skin, however it is possible to be genetically inclined to develop this aggressive form of cancer. Studies demonstrated that increased sunburns from childhood, adolescence, and adulthood all increase the risk of melanoma (Diao & Lee, 2013). The primary carcinogen for causing skin cancers is ultraviolet light from solar radiation and tanning beds (Diao & Lee, 2013). This is why there must be greater awareness for the dangers of tanning beds and higher advisory for the use of sunscreen.
Studies have found that over seventy percent (70%) of all cutaneous melanomas have a genetic alteration on chromosome 9p21 (Lee et al., 2014). More specifically, a mutation occurs in proteins responsible for regulating the transcription of genes involved in cell proliferation and survival where the amino acid valine is substituted with glutamate (Lee et al., 2014). Because of this research, oncologists are strategizing ways to target against the proteins in these specific susceptible genes in the pathogenesis of melanoma (Lee et al., 2014).
The reason why melanoma can become so deadly is because it often goes unnoticed and is dismissed as just a harmless mole or spot. Researchers have found, “the first sign of melanoma is a mole, sore, lump, or growth found on the skin. Melanoma can occur anywhere on the body, but it is most often found on the backs of men and the legs of women. Generally, melanomas are black or brown but may be red, skin-colored, or white” (Sutton, 2015, p. 1393). Research has shown that people with lighter pigmentation are at higher risk for developing cancerous cells (Sutton, 2015). For example, red or blond hair and green or blue eyes. It has also been proven that as you age, your risk increases, as it is most commonly found in people over the age of twenty (Sutton, 2015).
Sutton additionally states, “[rates are] highest in those in their eighties, according to the ACS. The average age of a patient at the time of diagnosis is 61” (2015, p. 1393). Despite physical characteristics, it is recommended by the American Cancer Society that all people older than the age of forty get professional skin examinations every year (Sutton, 2015). It is also recommended to use SPF of at least thirty adequately and to be reapplied every two hours or even more often if swimming or perspiring (Diao & Lee, 2013). Another way people are advised to decrease their risk is to wear protective clothing and avoid midday sun, the ultraviolet rays are strongest between ten o’clock AM and three o’clock PM (Diao & Lee, 2013).
There are many options when it comes to melanoma treatments, some more simple than others. When found in the early stages, thin melanoma cells can be removed, sometimes including the lymph nodes if a biopsy shows the cancer has spread to that extent (Sutton, 2015). Skin grafting may be necessary if the infected area is large. Radiation is also commonly used in destroying the cancerous cells before they can spread throughout the body.
Chemotherapy is a common treatment option for many varieties of cancer. Chemotherapy involves potent drugs designed to kill cancer cells or prevent them from dividing and spreading further throughout the body, they are injected into the bloodstream to stay in the general region affected by the tumorous melanoma cells (Sutton, 2015). Melanoma patients specifically undergo a certain type of chemotherapy called hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion where a tourniquet cinches blood flow to the diseased area (Sutton, 2015).
Another strategy arising in melanoma treatment therapies from these discoveries is specialized targeting of the immunologic checkpoints to trigger the antitumor immune response (Lee et al., 2014). This basically means that medications can be taken that increase the body’s resistance to tumor growths. Patients with treatment-refractory metastatic disease have even showed an increase in survival with this treatment option (Lee et al., 2014). Some of the immune system stimulating agents include interferon and interleukin-2. These are non-specific drugs that stimulate the system as a whole. Another promising pharmaceutical used is dacarbazine, a chemotherapeutic drug (Lee et al., 2014).
Although these medications have helped to increase survival rates in cancer patients, scientists are currently still unable to elucidate melanoma metastasis (Lee et al., 2014). The main theory of metastatic dissemination is that the melanoma cells have the ability to take over leukocyte trafficking functions, therefore spreading more rapidly and further throughout the body (Lee et al., 2014). Once the cells have advanced to this stage, it is extremely difficult to fight the disease without doing significant damage to vital functions in the body.
