Melanoma By Joshua Hook

What is Melanoma? Melanoma is the most severe kind of skin cancer. It starts in skin cells called melanocytes. Even though melanoma is mostly found on the skin, it can also occur in your eye ( uveal melanoma). Melanocytes are the cells that make melanin, which gives skin its color. Melanin also protects the deeper layers of the skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. When people spend time in the sunlight, melanocytes make more melanin and that is what causes the skin to tan.

How do you get melanoma? If the skin receives too much ultraviolet light, the melanocytes may begin to grow abnormally and become cancerous. So it isn’t a great idea to go and get tan by sunbathing. You could easily overdo it and end up with melanoma.

What does melanoma look like? A common sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, or color of a mole. But melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. In men, melanoma mainly shows up on: the upper body, between the shoulders and hips the head and neck In women, melanoma often develops on the lower legs. In dark-skinned people, melanoma generally appears: under the fingernails or toenails on the palms of the hands on the soles of the feet Although these are the most common places on the body for melanomas to appear, they can appear anywhere on the skin. This is why it is important to always examine your skin to check for new moles or changes in moles.

How does it relate to DNA? An international team of researchers has discovered the first DNA faults linked to melanoma - the deadliest skin cancer - that are not related to hair, skin or eye colour. Known risk factors for melanoma include fair skin, blue or green eyes, blond or red hair, a high number of moles, people who burn easily and those who have a family history.

How does it relate to DNA? One DNA fault was found in the region of a gene called MX2 linked to narcolepsy - a disease thought to be triggered by the immune system which causes people to fall asleep spontaneously. Another fault was found in a gene called ATM involved in DNA repair - preventing cancer-causing mistakes being passed onto daughter cells. The third gene fault was found in the CASP8 gene, which plays a role in controlling cell spread by triggering automatic cell death. The average risk of developing melanoma is about one in 60. This goes up to one in 46 if a person has both copies of all three gene faults.

genetics/3888-dna-faults-linked-to- melanoma-uncovered