History: The first description of melanoma was in the 5th century BC, by Hippocrates " which he described as melas, meaning dark, and oma, meaning tumor"(News-Medical.net). The first melanoma tumor to be successfully removed was in 1787 by John Hunter. In 1804, "Rene Laenec was the first to distinguish melanoma as a disease separate from others"(News-Medical.net). In 1844, Samuel Cooper stated that advanced melanoma was not treatable unless the tumor was removed early on in the disease. "In 1892, Herbert Snow expressed the benefits of removing the tumor and surrounding glands as a method of prophylaxis"(News-Medical.net). "In 1905, William Handley analyzed the lymphatic spread of secondary melanoma"(News-Medical.net). In 1956, Henry Lancaster was the first to make a connection " between ultraviolet radiations from exposure to sunlight to increased incidence on melanoma"(News-Medical.net).
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Symptoms:
Melanoma can develop anywhere on your body, but most often occurs in areas exposed to sunlight.
Quality of Life:
If melanoma is detected early on patients can have the tumor or mass removed with an almost 100% rate of survival. Stage 0- 99.9% survival Stage 1- 89-95% survival (invasive melanoma) Stage 2- 45-79% survival (high-risk melanoma) Stage 3- 24-70% survival (regional metastasis) Stage 4- 7-19% survival (distant metastasis) The quality of life lessens as the stage increases due to the amount and strength of therapy needed. |
Treatments:
Early stages: early stages are treated by surgery and removing the melanoma. Spreading Melanoma:
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Diagnosis:
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