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Medical ReferenceRelated to Melanoma Skin Cancer

11. Understanding Skin Cancer -- the Basics
    
    From symptoms to prevention, get the basics on skin cancer from the experts at WebMD.
    
12. 10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Melanoma
    
    If you've just been diagnosed with melanoma, you have questions. WebMD experts provide 10 questions you might want to ask your doctor.
    
13. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - Get More Information From NCI
    
    Call 1-800-4-CANCERFor more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. A trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.Chat online The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer. Write to usFor more information from the NCI, please write to this address:NCI Public Inquiries Office9609 Medical Center Dr. Room 2E532 MSC 9760Bethesda, MD 20892-9760Search the NCI Web siteThe NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support
    
14. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - Interventions With Inadequate Evidence as to Whether They Reduce Risk of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
    
    Sunscreen Use and Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation AvoidanceBenefitsThe evidence that interventions designed to reduce exposure to UV radiation by the use of sunscreen, protective clothing, or limitation of sun exposure time decrease the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer is inadequate. A randomized study suggested a possible reduction in incidence of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), but study design and analysis problems complicate interpretation of the results.[1,2]Magnitude of Benefit: Not applicable (N/A) (inadequate evidence).Study Design: One randomized controlled trial (RCT) with tumor incidence as the outcome and one RCT with actinic keratosis as the outcome for SCC; cohort studies for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Other study designs give inconsistent results.Internal Validity: Poor.Consistency: Poor.External Validity: Poor.HarmsThe harms of sunscreen use are poorly quantified but are likely to be small, including allergic reactions to skin creams and lower production of vitamin D
    
15. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - Cellular and Molecular Classification of Melanoma
    
    Following is a list of clinicopathologic cellular subtypes of malignant melanoma. These should be considered descriptive terms of historic interest only as they do not have independent prognostic or therapeutic significance. Superficial spreading.Nodular.Lentigo maligna.Acral lentiginous (palmar/plantar and subungual).Miscellaneous unusual types: Mucosal lentiginous (oral and genital).Desmoplastic.Verrucous. Identification of activating mutations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway has led to the definition of molecular subtypes of melanoma and provided potential drug targets.BRAF (V-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1) gene, first reported in 2002, are the most frequent mutation in cutaneous melanoma. Approximately 40% to 60% of malignant melanomas harbor a single nucleotide transversion. The majority have a mutation that results in a substitution from valine to glutamic acid at position 600 BRAF (V600E); less frequent mutations include valine 600 to lysine or
    
16. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - Resectable Stage III Melanoma Treatment
    
    Stage III melanoma is defined by the American Joint Committee on Cancer's TNM classification system:[1]Any T, N1, M0Any T, N2, M0Any T, N3, M0Standard Treatment Options for Patients With Stage III MelanomaWide local excision of the primary tumor with 1 cm to 3 cm margins, depending on tumor thickness and location.[2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Skin grafting may be necessary to close the resulting defect.High-dose or pegylated interferon alpha-2b as adjuvant treatment for patients who have undergone a complete surgical resection but are considered to be at high risk for relapse.Ipilimumab for patients with unresectable disease.Vemurafenib for patients with unresectable disease who test positive for the BRAF V600 mutation in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved test.Adjuvant Treatment Options for Patients With Resected Stage III DiseaseProspective, randomized, multicenter treatment trials have demonstrated that high-dose interferon alpha-2b and pegylated interferon do not improve overall
    
17. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - General Information About Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary
    
    Metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary is a disease in which squamous cell cancer spreads to lymph nodes in the neck and it is not known where the cancer first formed in the body. Squamous cells are thin,flat cells found in tissues that form the surface of the skin and the lining of body cavities such as the mouth,hollow organs such as the uterus and blood vessels,and the lining ...
    
18. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - What is screening?
    
    Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help find cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early,it may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear,cancer may have begun to spread. Scientists are trying to better understand which people are more likely to get certain types of cancer. They also study the things we do and the ...
    
19. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - To Learn More About Melanoma
    
    For more information from the National Cancer Institute about melanoma, see the following:Melanoma Home PageWhat You Need to Know About™ Melanoma and Other Skin CancersSkin Cancer PreventionSkin Cancer ScreeningSentinel Lymph Node BiopsyDrugs Approved for MelanomaBiological Therapies for CancerUnderstanding Cancer Series: Targeted Therapies (Advances in Targeted Therapies)Targeted Cancer TherapiesFor general cancer information and other resources from the National Cancer Institute, see the following:What You Need to Know About™ CancerUnderstanding Cancer Series: CancerCancer StagingChemotherapy and You: Support for People With CancerRadiation Therapy and You: Support for People With CancerCoping with Cancer: Supportive and Palliative CareQuestions to Ask Your Doctor About CancerCancer LibraryInformation For Survivors/Caregivers/Advocates
    
20. Metastatic Squamous Neck Cancer with Occult Primary Treatment (PDQ®): Treatment - Patient Information [NCI] - Interventions With Inadequate Evidence as to Whether They Reduce Risk of Melanoma
    
    Sunscreen Use and Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation AvoidanceBenefitsThere is inadequate evidence to determine whether the avoidance of sunburns or the use of sunscreen alters the incidence of cutaneous melanoma.Magnitude of Benefit: Unknown.Study Design: Primarily cohort or case-control studies. A post hoc analysis of one randomized controlled trial of regular sunscreen use versus use at the personal discretion of the control group suggested a possible decrease in melanoma in the regular sunscreen group that emerged years after the trial period ended. However, the numbers were extremely small, and the confidence intervals were consequently very large.[1]Internal Validity: Poor.Consistency: Poor.External Validity: Not applicable (N/A).HarmsThe harms of sunscreen use are poorly quantified but are likely to be small, including allergic reactions to skin creams and lower production of vitamin D by the skin with less sun exposure.References: Thomas VD, Aasi SZ, Wilson LD, et al.: Cancer of the