Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes and, because most of these cells still produce melanin, the tumors often look like brown or black moles. It is much less common than non-melanoma skin cancer, but it is much more serious. Melanoma, like non-melanoma skin cancer, is almost always curable in its early stages. However, melanoma is much more likely to spread to other parts of the body.
Cancer of the skin (nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancers combined) is the most common of all cancers probably accounting for more than 50% of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for about 4% of skin cancer cases but causes about 79% of skin cancer deaths.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 55,100 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States during 2004. The number of new melanomas diagnosed in the United States is increasing. Among white men and women in the US, incidence rates for melanoma increased sharply at about 6% per year from 1973 until the early 1980s. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase slowed to little less than 3% per year. Specifically, 55,100 new melanomas and 7,910 deaths expected.
Melonama means "black tumor". Black is the colorof the warrior's mood when going into battle and the melanoma patient is in a battle for his/her life. Black is the color of our rage when we consider the lack of progress and lack of research funding we see after 25 years of the so-called "War On Cancer".
