Although melanoma is an easy to spot cancer, mortality rates are very high. Every year 1100 people die from about 3000 new cases. Tamra Judge, a 50-year-old American star, found out how dangerous it can be. Now the woman warns others and encourages research!
- Melanoma is an extremely dangerous skin cancer that can develop regardless of age
- An early detection of the lesion is completely treatable, which is why prevention is so important
- Tamra Judge, 50-year-old American celebrity, found out about the disease by accident, now warns others and encourages more frequent research
Tamra trained hard and planned to compete in fitness. Her plans were thwarted by a small black spot on her buttock, which did not arouse any suspicions in her and initially downplayed her. Later it turned out that this seemingly trivial birthmark is a cancer – melanoma.
There are more and more sick people
Every year the number of skin cancer cases is growing rapidly. One of them is melanoma, which is one of the most common skin cancers. It is characterized by dynamic growth, and in the case of metastases, it is difficult to treat. Unfortunately, we rarely realize it and ignore any spots that appear on our body.
However, Tamra was very lucky, because the disease was detected early enough. Now, after the diagnosis, she knows the importance of prophylaxis and skin examination. She decided to draw the attention of her fans to the growing problem. On her Instagram profile, she published a photo showing that a small birthmark, which must not be underestimated, may indicate a serious illness. Melanoma can be beaten – Although it is one of the most aggressive cancers, we don’t have to die because of it. Melanoma is visible at a very early stage, when it can be cured – says prof. Piotr Rutkowski.
Melanoma arises from melanocytes, i.e. pigment cells that produce and contain melanin that can be malignantly transformed. Melanoma most often occurs on the skin, but it can also appear wherever there are melanocytes, i.e. on the mucous membranes in the mouth, rectum, and in the retina of the eye. It is dangerous because it is not easy to treat. Melanomas most often develop from pigmented nevi, i.e. flat nevi, malignant lentil spots, and less frequently from blue nevi and unchanged skin. Of the flat pigmented lesions, the most dangerous are those strongly colored, almost black, completely flat or only slightly raised, without hair.
Very rarely, neoplasms develop from hairy birthmarks, but this rule does not apply to birthmarks. Malignant lentil stains are most common on the face, more common in women and the elderly. A feature of these changes is a very dark color. The spots grow slowly and have an infiltrated base. They should not be confused with common lentil stains, which are mild pigmented spots that resemble large freckles.
How to heal?
If melanoma is diagnosed early, 95% of the people will be fully cured. But without self-control and seeing the birthmarks, little can be done.
– If there are no metastases, surgery in nearly 90 percent patients is effective. With the lesion thickness not exceeding 0,75 mm, the chances of survival are close to 6%. Unfortunately, in every fifth patient melanoma is so advanced that surgery cannot be performed. Until recently, the average survival time from diagnosis was 8-XNUMX months. Thanks to the emergence of new drugs, the survival time in these cases was significantly extended. Research on new drugs is ongoing. I hope that they will lead to the fact that the melanoma is completely curable or becomes a chronic disease, not a fatal one – adds the expert.