Melanoma

Melanoma is a form of cancer derived from the transformation of a melanocyte. This common type of cancer is most prevalently found in the external epidermis (exposed skin), but may also be found, if more rarely, interocularly (within and around the structure of the eye) , and in the meningies (around the brain and spinal column, specifically the blood-brain barrier), digestive tract, and lymph nodes.

Melanocytes are epidermal cells responsible for the production of melanin. They are often located in between the dermal and epidermal layers of the skin, resting on the structure known as the basement membrane. The cells are designed normally to move within the constraints of the skin layers, which often causes problems when the cell becomes cancerous, as this allows for easier metastisization (movement of the cancerous cell to another organ, often through the lymph or blood).

Cancers such as melanoma are often given specific titles that aid in the easier division of the cancer into levels of progression based upon the distinct physical characteristics of the primary lesion. These “stages” of progression have “staging criterion” that is defined by consensus of many physicians. The standard staging criterion are based on procedures that range from minimally invasive (i.e., needle aspiration) to fully invasive (i.e., biopsy).

The melanoma staging criterion and staging system presented on the following page come from the American Cancer Society, and are updated regularly to reflect specific advances in detection methods and quantitative measuring techniques.

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