Overview of the risk factors of melanoma

 

Severija Pažemeckaitė,1 Rūta Palionytė,1 Artūras Smirnovas1

1 Lithuanian university of health sciences, faculty of medicine

ABSTRACT

Melanoma is a melanocyte-derived tumor that begins in epidermis and progresses to the subcutaneous tissue. This is the most aggressive skin tumor, the decisive factor for the prognosis is the stage of the disease and its spread. Early diagnostic can significantly reduce the risk of mortality from melanoma. For this reason both general practitioner and the dermatologist are well aware of such risk factors of melanoma: UV radiation, PUVA therapy, atypical, changing moles, skin type, anamnesis of melanoma, other skin malignancies, positive familial history, age and sex, chronic immunosuppression and genetic predisposition. Understanding the clinical significance of these factors enables selective screening of patients at high risk for melanoma.

Keywords: melanoma, cancer, risk factors