Contents:
- Medical Video: What does skin cancer look like ? |Best Health FAQS
- Amelanotic melanoma is a rare skin cancer
- What are the signs and symptoms of amelanotic melanoma?
- Causes and risk factors for amelanotic melanoma
- How dangerous is amelanotic melanoma?
- Prevention and treatment of amelanotic melanoma is ...
Medical Video: What does skin cancer look like ? |Best Health FAQS
Melanoma is a rare type of skin cancer whose effects can be very serious. Most melanomas look like new moles, but some can also develop from existing moles. However, there is one type of melanoma cancer that does not cause obvious symptoms, namely amelanotic melanoma.
Amelanotic melanoma is a rare skin cancer
Amelanotic melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer because the symptoms are very difficult to recognize from the start.
Just like other skin cancers, amelanotic melanoma develops due to a disruption in melanocyte cells so it becomes malignant. Melanocyte cells are cells that produce melanin, the determinant of skin color. That is why most features of skin cancer are marked by changes in the shape, color, or size of a mole.
However, amelanotic melanoma does not show these symptoms because these cancer cells cannot produce melanin. The skin area that has amelanotic melanoma may only be reddish in color, even the color can be very disgusting or looks the same as the surrounding skin.
Amelanotic melanoma is a rare skin cancer. A study that collected data from various countries showed that of the total skin cancer patients worldwide, only 8% of cases were classified as amelanotic. However, although rare, this cancer tends to shed more fatalities because the symptoms are difficult to detect in the early stages. The types of amelanotic melanoma cancers also tend to be more easily spread than other types of skin cancer. As a result, when it is diagnosed, the development of cancer is already in an advanced stage which is difficult to cure.
What are the signs and symptoms of amelanotic melanoma?
A typical symptom of amelanotic melanoma is a fading skin color that is generally more difficult to recognize. However, every skin cancer is generally characterized by abnormal skin growth or spots a mole that appears suddenly.
Here are some signs to detect signs of the development of melanoma in the body:
- The appearance of patches or moles which is asymmetrical or different from moles in the body in general.
- The edges of moles are irregular, do not have clear color lines with their surroundings.
- Moles tend to be faded but change color over time. Normal moles have a brown or blackish color from the beginning.
- Moles are a sign of cancer usually has a diameter that is too wide or larger than the diameter of a pencil.
Causes and risk factors for amelanotic melanoma
The main risk factor for cancer of amelanotic melanoma is excessive exposure to solar UV radiation. The incidence of sunburn can also increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Therefore, the growth of skin cancer cells usually starts or occurs in areas of the body that are often exposed to the sun.
Unlike other skin cancers, amelanotic melanoma is found more often at a young age, especially children.
Other risk factors that can also increase a person's chances of experiencing amelanotic melanoma are:
- History of family skin cancer, especially amelanotic melanoma
- Has white or pale skin
- Have lots of moles
- Ever experienced sunburn serious
How dangerous is amelanotic melanoma?
Amelanotic melanoma cancer is easier to treat and cured if diagnosed at an early stage. Treatment of skin cancer in the early stages in general also does not cause serious complications that can inhibit daily activities.
Even so, in general the features of amelanotic melanoma do not have a difference at all with the surrounding skin area. The longer you experience amelanotic melanoma without being detected and treated, the more difficult it is to cure. The chance of recovery when the cancer is in stage 2-3 ranges around 50 percent. When it has entered stage 4, cancer cells have attacked other organs so that the chances of healing will be thinning.
In addition, there is a risk of recurrence of cancer in the same area of the skin or in other parts of the body.
Prevention and treatment of amelanotic melanoma is ...
Self-protection by using sunscreen and clothes that are sufficient to cover the surface of the skin can help prevent the appearance of skin cancer in general. Also note the body parts that appear abnormal spots or moles starting in terms of color, texture, shape and changes that occur afterwards.
Melanoma which is still in the early stages can be treated surgically to remove the cancer cells. The next stage that is more serious is likely to require chemotherapy. If the cancer cell has attacked the lymph nodes, the lymph nodes that are affected by cancer must also be removed along with melanoma.
