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| What is Melanoma? |
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Melanoma is cancer that begins in melanocytes, which are the skin cells that make the pigment that gives skin its normal color. The most serious type of skin cancer, melanoma, occurs when melanocytes become abnormal, divide too often and grow without order or control, producing a mass of extra tissue or tumor. Melanoma can start as an existing mole or it can begin as a new spot on the skin. Approximately half the people who develop melanoma do not have an atypical mole. If the melanoma is discovered before the cancer cells have grown down into the body and before the cells have spread to other parts of the body, it can often be cured by surgery. However, if melanoma is not detected in the early stages, the cancer cells can invade and destroy nearby healthy skin. Melanoma can also metastasize, or spread throughout the bloodstream and lymphatic system and form tumors throughout the body, making it infinitely harder to treat.
Copyright © IT Network 1999
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