Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that starts in the pigment-producing skin cells called melanocytes. These cells become abnormal, grow uncontrollably, and aggressively invade surrounding tissues. Although melanoma is less common than other types of skin cancer, it is the most serious. Fortunately, melanoma may be cured if caught and treated in its early stages when it affects only the skin.

Melanoma is a malignancy of melanocytes, special cells in the skin which synthesize skin pigment. It is the most rapidly increasing form of cancer in the US. Although all causes of melanoma are not known with certainty, epidemiologic studies suggest that brief, intense exposure to ultraviolet radiation contributes to the development of melanoma.

Your health professional will examine your skin to look for melanoma. If he or she suspects melanoma, a biopsy of the affected skin is needed to make a diagnosis. For this, your health professional will remove a sample of tissue, and a pathologist will examine it under a microscope to check for cancer cells. If the biopsy shows melanoma, more testing (such as a sentinel lymph node biopsy) may be necessary to determine whether the melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes.

You can prevent all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, by avoiding overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Avoid sunbathing and tanning salons. UV rays from artificial sources such as tanning beds and sunlamps are just as dangerous as those from the sun.2 Perform a skin self-exam monthly to identify suspicious growths that may be cancer or growths that may develop into skin cancer (precancers).

It is a rare cancer that develops within the eyeball in a tissue called the uvea. It is subdivided into iris, ciliary body, and choroidal melanoma depending on the tumor location.

Symptoms of melanoma may vary, so it’s important to recognize changes in the skin that are unusual for you. Some symptoms to notice are moles that change in size, shape or color, new moles, moles that itch, bleed, or are tender, and sores that don’t heal. If you notice any of these signs, seek prompt consultation with a dermatologist.

No one knows the exact causes of melanoma. However, research has shown that people with certain melanoma risk factors are more likely than others to develop melanoma . People who have had at least one severe, blistering sunburn as a child or teenager are at increased risk of melanoma. People whose immune system is weakened by certain cancers, by drugs given following organ transplantation, or by HIV are at increased risk of developing melanoma. Melanoma sometimes runs in families.

Melanoma is the only form of skin cancer that is aggressive with any regularity. However, melanoma skin cancer does not fit the mold of other skin cancers for the following reasons: Melanoma most commonly appears on parts of the body that do not receive regular exposure to sunlight. Heredity, fair skin, an abnormally high number of moles on one's body (above 40) and a history of repeated childhood sunburns have all been implicated as potential risk factors for this disease.

About 6 people out of a million population develop uveal melanoma. It affects 2000 to 2500 Americans per year.

There is no known cause. Diet, lifestyle, occupation, and stress are not known causes. This cancer is not familial.

Caucasians with fair complexions are more likely to develop uveal melanoma than African Americans, Indians, and Asians.

Patients with one blue and one brown eye are at risk for melanoma in the brown eye. This condition is called oculodermal melanocytosis or nevus of Ota. Patients with skin melanoma or dysplastic nevus syndrome are not proven to have a higher risk for uveal melanoma, but they should get their

Most cases are identified by an ophthalmologist with eye examination and then tests are used to confirm the diagnosis. laser photocoagulation, transpupillary thermotherapy, surgical resection or combinations of above treatment.