For more information contact our media relations coordinator. Nobody knows exactly what causes it, but approximately one person in the United States dies from it every hour. Melanoma is a type of cancer that originates in the melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin. According to Clay Anderson, MD, director of MU Health Care's Midwest Melanoma Unit, the death rate for the disease continues to increase because of its relationship to unprotected sun exposure. Melanoma is readily curable in the early stages of growth.
Awareness is the key to detection and early detection is the key to a successful treatment.
Since melanoma is a skin cancer, it may seem obvious that too much sun exposure would put a person at greater risk. However, Anderson warns that sun exposure is not the only factor. Those with a history of bad sunburns, particularly in childhood. People with a family history of melanoma or other forms of skin cancer. Individuals with a number of moles, normal or misshapen.