WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MELANOMA
Melanoma is a common and serious skin cancer which, if not removed early while it is thin, spreads internally and is usually fatal. It is often ignored until too late because, in the early stages, it may look harmless and cause no discomfort. Many people don't realize that something small on their skin can kill them if not treated promptly.
Although it is uncommon in children under 12, melanoma occurs in every age group after puberty and is the most common cancer in the 25-29 year age group. It is the leading cancer killer of women aged 30-35. Overall melanoma is the 6th most common cancer in males and 7th in females. The U.S. incidence of melanoma is nearly triple that of new HIV infections and is increasing at an epidemic rate; 116,500 new cases are predicted in 2008. Most new melanoma patients have no family history of the disease; it can strike anyone regardless of health, physical condition, or skin complexion. On the average, there is a melanoma death in the U.S. almost every hour.
The good news is that melanoma is easy to detect yourself at an early stage while it is thin and curable by simple, painless removal in an office setting. All it takes is a 10 minute monthly skin check. These pages show you how to check your skin, what to look for, and how to decrease your risk of melanoma.
Except for the home page the "main" pages of the site are labelled numerically starting with page 1. Pages numbered 3a, 5a, 5b, etc. are supplemental pages with additional information about the subjects in the corresponding main pages.
For students and other visitors interested in essential information about early detection and prevention of melanoma main pages 1 through 6 and supplemental page 4a are suggested; other pages are optional.
For other visitors, use the table of contents on the home page or the navigation menu at the bottom of every page to click on topics of interest. A more detailed site index may also be reached from the navigation menu at the bottom of most pages or from the home page.
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