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Page: Melanoma
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Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in bowel and the eye (see uveal melanoma). It is one of the rarer types of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Despite many years of intensive laboratory and clinical research, the sole effective cure is surgical resection of the primary tumor before it achieves a thickness of greater than 1 mm.
Around 160,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed worldwide each year, and it is more frequent in males and caucasians. It is particularly common in white populations living in sunny climates. According to the WHO Report about 48,000 melanoma related deaths occur worldwide per annum.
The treatment includes surgical removal of the tumor; adjuvant treatment; chemo- and immunotherapy, or radiation therapy.
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