What Is Melanoma: A Malignant Tumor Affecting The Melanocytes

Simply put, the answer to what is melanoma is that it is nothing but a disease of the skin and in which certain cells of a cancerous nature get produced in melanocytes which are the cells that give the skin its color, and melanocytes are found in different parts of the body including the eyes. Since most of the documented infections of melanoma are thought to originate in the skin, it thus leads to the conclusion that what is melanoma is nothing but a disease of the skin - and a cancerous one at that.

Malignant And Cutaneous Melanoma

There are other ways by which melanoma is known and they include malignant melanoma and also cutaneous melanoma, and this disease is also curable though it does require early diagnosis as well as treatment. Another pointer to finding out what is melanoma and what its causes are is that it has been found through scientific research that the disease begins with being exposed to ultraviolet radiation, though even this assumption has given rise to quite some debate.

You could also provide another answer to the question of what is melanoma by understanding that it is a malignant tumor that comes originally from the melanocytes, and it is often the case that melanomas stop the generation of pigments, and they could be either situ (Latin for 'localized') or invasive. When the melanoma is situ, it will generally only occupy the skin's top layer while in the case of invasive melanoma, the condition is far more serious and consequently harder to cure as well.

You can also learn about what is melanoma by categorizing the disease into four groups, in which three are those that begin in situ and then turn invasive while the last group consists of melanoma that is already invasive right from the very outset. Of the most common forms of melanoma, the one that is superficial melanoma that also spreads it is believed to be prevalent in seventy percent (approximately) of all known cases and in this form of melanoma, the melanoma affects the skin's top layer for quite some time before turning invasive. Also, this form of melanoma is most often found in the younger age group.

Another fact with relation to what is melanoma is that melanoma is genetic and it could thus affect family members if somebody in the family is affected by the disease. Thus, if someone in your family suffers from melanoma, it is wise to get you checked up regularly to determine whether you have presence of these dangerous cancerous cells.