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Melanoma
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Melanoma is a very serious form of skin cancer that accounts for the majority of skin-cancer related deaths each year. The number of people diagnosed with melanoma is rapidly increasing with more than 62,000 new cases expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. during 2006. While the chance of developing melanoma increases with age, it remains one of the most common cancers in young adults. This type of cancer begins in specific cells in the skin and can metastasize, or spread, throughout the body to many organ systems. Patients with Stage IV metastatic melanoma typically have a median survival of less than nine months. No significant advances in the treatment of metastatic melanoma have occurred over the past thirty years underscoring the need for novel therapeutics to address the unmet medical need in this patient population.
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Melanoma is a type of cancer, originating in the melanocytes, the cells containing color. Approximately 32,000 cases per year are currently diagnosed in the United States alone, and the incidence is increasing at the rate of 4.3% per year, one of the fastest increases in occurence rates of all cancers. In about 2% of occurences, the disease is present even though no skin discoloration occurs. This is called amelanotic melanoma. "According to the American Academy of Dermatology, one person dies from malignant melanoma every hour. The overall incidence rate for the disease is increasing faster than that of any other cancer and by the year 2000, an American's lifetime risk of developing melanoma will be one in 75.
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Melanoma cancer survivors at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) have a story to tell. In this section, you will read personal accounts of melanoma cancer patients who found a care team that was willing and able to fight with them. Read on to learn more about these courageous survivors who came to CTCA and found a unique approach to melanoma cancer treatment.
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Melanoma is a skin cancer that arises in cells that make the brown pigment in skin. It is the most serious from of skin cancer with a much higher fatality rate than basal cell and squamous cell cancer. Every hour of every day of the year, a human being dies of melanoma in the United States. Melanoma strikes people of all ages, all races, all economic levels and both sexes. It is already the most common cancer for women ages 25 to 29 and the second most common cancer for women ages 30 to 34. Melanoma is increasing faster than any other cancer and an estimated 47,300 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed this year in the United States (1).
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Melanoma occurs in every part of the country. The five states with the highest predicted incidence of new cases are California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania. When adjusted for population differences, the prevalence of melanoma is nearly as high in Massachusetts as in Florida and almost as high in New York as in Texas and California. The risk in northern and central states is not much less than in sunbelt states. Australia and New Zealand have the highest incidence of melanoma in the world, with New Zealand's rate nearly five times the U.S. rate.
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Melanoma is seen mainly not in outdoor workers, but in indoor professionals. This is considered to be due to the fact that indoor workers get bursts of sunlight on weekends and holidays. It is thought that these short bursts of sunlight are responsible for the development of this cancer. People who are light in skin tone, fair hair, and who have a family member who has had a melanoma need to be particularly careful and should have a complete skin exam each year. A history of melanoma in the family leads to a greater chance of developing a melanoma. The person at greatest risk is the light-skinned, indoor worker who gets bursts of sunlight during weekends or holidays.
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Melanoma