Melanoma

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Medical Author:

Gary W. Cole, MD

Gary W. Cole, MD

Dr. Cole is board certified in dermatology. He obtained his BA degree in bacteriology, his MA degree in microbiology, and his MD at the University of California, Los Angeles. He trained in dermatology at the University of Oregon, where he completed his residency.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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• Melanoma Overview
• Melanoma Causes
• Melanoma Symptoms and Signs
• Melanoma Risk Factors
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Melanoma Diagnosis
• Melanoma Treatment
• Melanoma Follow-up
• Melanoma Prognosis
• Melanoma Prevention
• For More Information
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Author and Editor
• Read more on Melanoma from Healthwise

Melanoma Overview

Melanomas are cancerous (malignant) tumors involving specialized cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes have the unique ability to produce the pigment melanin and can be found in the skin, mucous membranes, eye, adrenal gland, and brain. Melanomas have a particular tendency to spread to distant sites (metastasize) at an early stage of growth. The effect of this spread is often premature death. The incidence of this type of skin cancer has recently been shown to be rising exponentially, and it is the single most common cause of death from skin disease.

Melanoma Causes

Like most cancers, the cause of melanomas involves interplay between genetic and environmental factors. It is generally agreed that ultraviolet-light-induced mutations in melanocytes is the single most important environmental factor in the induction of cutaneous melanomas. The fact that melanomas are difficult to produce experimentally as well as their appearance in areas of the body in which no light exposure occurs has fueled some controversy as to cause. On the other hand, there is an interesting correlation between exposure to sunlight as defined by the earth's latitude and the incidence of melanoma. Melanomas tend to occur on sun-exposed skin in lightly pigmented individuals. There are important genetic factors that predispose certain individuals to produce melanomas. Some of these genes have been identified.