1. Cory Klinger Korey Kainec Ian Behra

2. What is Melanoma?? Melanoma is a malignant tumor. If not found early, melanoma can ne very dangerous. It is responsible for about 75% of deaths related to skin cancer

3. What it looks like… Melanoma can often times be confused with regular skin moles. There is a helpful system that can be used to determine what exactly melanoma looks like. A- asymmetrical B- borders are uneven C- color; usually ranges in patchy areas. D- diameter; typically more than ¼ inch E- Evolve or enlarge All of the above traits describe what melanoma looks like.

4. A picture…

5. Where does it come from? Melanoma come from melanocytes. These are cells located in the skins epidermis. They produce melanin or a pigment.

6. Causes… Melanoma is caused by damage to the DNA. When the DNA become damaged it causes the cell to grow into a tumor. DNA damage is most often caused by UV light from the sun. Melanoma can be inherited from genetic mutation (any event causing change in genetic structure). Melanoma builds up over a persons life and is usually caused by factors in the environment.

7. The Stages of Melanoma The stages of melanoma with survival rate (%) Stage 0: Clark Level (99.9%) Stage 1: Invasive Melanoma (85-99%) Stage 2: High Risk Melanoma(40-85%) Stage 3: Regional Metastasis (25-60%) Stage 4: Distant Metastasis (9-15%)

8. The Clark Level Level 1: Melanoma confined to Epidermis Level 2: Invasion into the Papillary dermis Level 3: Invasion into the junction of Reticular dermis Level 4: Invasion into reticular dermis Level 5: Invasion into subcutaneous fat The staging system used to recognize the invasion of melanoma into the skin

9. Do ya got it? Early signs: new lumps/moles, or changes in shape/color of existing moles. Later signs: moles itch and/or bleed The ABCDE Method is helpful in recognizing early sings of melanoma. Other symptoms include: loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.

10. Treatments!!?? Melanoma can be removed through several surgeries or biopsies. Further surgery would need to be done in order to prevent recurrence. In Metastasis, the melanoma spreads to other parts of the body and is difficult to treat. Melanoma can be cured during the early stages. Some other methods include Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy.

11. Additional Facts There are many forms of Melanoma. The most aggressive form of Melanoma is Nodular Melanoma. Nodular Melanoma tends to grow rapidly and is more thick. As opposed to most types of melanoma, nodular melanoma grows on areas of the skin that did not have pre-existing lesions.

12. Nodular Melanoma

13. Prevention and Support The best way to prevent from melanoma is to avoid exposure to UV radiation. Sunscreen is recommended for long exposures to the sun. Avoid Tanning Beds!!!! There are several support groups for melanoma. Two of the largest being the American Melanoma Foundation, and the Skin Cancer Community. http://www.melanomafoundation.org/AMF/patient.htm http://exchanges.webmd.com/melanoma-and-skin- cancer-exchange http://exchanges.webmd.com/melanoma-and-skin- cancer-exchange

14. Resources http://www.melanoma.com/whatis.html http://www.susanfazio.org/mucosalmelanoma.html http://www.malignant-melanoma.org/surgery/lymph- node-dissection-surgery/ http://www.malignant-melanoma.org/surgery/lymph- node-dissection-surgery/ http://skincancer.about.com/od/diagnosis/a/staging.h tm http://skincancer.about.com/od/diagnosis/a/staging.h tm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13973 58/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13973 58/