AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, develops in the cells (melanocytes) that produce melanin-the pigment that gives your skin its color. Melanoma can also form in your eyes and, rarely, inside your body, such as in your nose or throat.

Detailed explanation-2: -Melanoma is the most invasive skin cancer with the highest risk of death. While it’s a serious skin cancer, it’s highly curable if caught early. Prevention and early treatment are critical, especially if you have fair skin, blonde or red hair and blue eyes.

Detailed explanation-3: -Melanoma is usually curable when detected and treated early. Once it has spread deeper into the skin or other parts of the body, it becomes more difficult to treat and can be deadly. The estimated five-year survival rate for U.S. patients whose melanoma is detected early is about 99 percent.

Detailed explanation-4: -The stage of a cancer describes how much cancer is in the body. It helps determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it. Doctors also use a cancer’s stage when talking about survival statistics. The earliest stage melanomas are stage 0 (melanoma in situ), and then range from stages I (1) through IV (4).

Detailed explanation-5: -Melanoma is caused by skin cells that begin to develop abnormally. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun is thought to cause most melanomas, but there’s evidence to suggest that some may result from sunbed exposure. The type of sun exposure that causes melanoma is sudden intense exposure.