Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and JOE decided to take a closer look as part of the Blue September campaign.
Blue September is chiefly about making Irish men wise up to men’s cancers, and melanoma has been found to be the most dangerous form of skin cancer. JOE decided to take a closer look.
What is melanoma?
The most dangerous form of skin cancer, these cancerous growths develop when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells (most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds) triggers mutations (genetic defects) that lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors.
These tumors originate in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Melanomas often resemble moles; some develop from moles.
The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but they can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white and is caused mainly by intense, occasional UV exposure (frequently leading to sunburn), especially in those who are genetically predisposed to the disease.
Prevention
If melanoma is recognised and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal.
While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths.
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