Among all skin cancers, melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer that develops in the melanocyte cells. These cells produce a pigment melanin that gives your skin its color. There is no specific cause of melanoma, but overexposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays is considered a major cause.
The damaged mutations in the skin cells lead to an uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells. While your immune system repairs some of these damages, the uncontrolled growth becomes very difficult to manage. Among the risk factors and treatment options of melanoma, the first thing to do is to limit your exposure to the sun and avoid using UV tanning beds.
Risk Factors
The following risk factors can make an individual more prone to develop melanoma:
- Exposure to UV rays
This is one of the major risk factors for developing this deadly skin disease. Exposure to the Sun’s UV rays and excessive usage of tanning beds can significantly increase your risk of developing this disease. Sun lamps are also potent sources of harmful UV rays you need to avoid. The UV rays damage the DNA inside the skin cells that soon grow out of control. - Living Close to the Equator or at High Altitudes
People living very close to the equator, where the Sun’s rays are direct and most intense, have greater risk of developing melanoma. Even those living at higher elevations who are excessively exposed to UV radiation have significantly higher risk of developing the disease. - Family History of Melanoma
While the risk factors and treatment options of melanoma coexist, you can develop the cancer if your first-grade relatives like parents, siblings, or children have/had melanoma. The shared family lifestyle and frequent exposure to the sun with certain gene mutations play a significant role. - Having a Fair Skin
People with a fair complexion generally have less melanin in their skin, which makes them susceptible to UV radiation. Even individuals with blonde or red-colored hair and light-colored eyes can easily develop the disease. However, melanoma can sometimes also develop in darker skinned people.
Treatment Options
The following treatment options can be effective in treating melanoma:
- Immunotherapy
It’s a medication-based treatment that boosts your immune system to fight cancer. The disease-fighting immune system gets a lease of life when the drug interferes with its process of attacking cancer cells. - Surgery
When melanoma has spread to nearby lymph nodes, a surgery will help remove the affected nodes. You will be given additional treatments before and after the surgery. - Targeted Therapy
Targeted medication treatments concentrate only on specific damages present within the cancer cells. These medications target the weakness and kill the cancer cells. This treatment is recommended when the disease has spread to nearby lymph nodes or to other parts of the body. - Radiation Therapy
The study about the risk factors and treatment options of melanoma has an option of using high-powered energy beams to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses X-ray and protons to direct at the affected lymph nodes and other affected areas. It’s very effective in helping treat the disease when surgery cannot remove it completely.
These risk factors and treatment options of melanoma are useful to know for an effective cure.