| Booklet: What You Need to Know about
Melanoma |
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Introduction
Melanoma is the most serious
cancer of the skin. In some parts of the world, especially among Western
countries, the number of people who develop melanoma is increasing faster
than any other cancer. In the United States, for example, the incidence rate
of melanoma has more than doubled in the past 20 years. The National Cancer
Institute (NCI) has written this booklet to help people with melanoma and
their families and friends better understand this disease. We hope others
will read it as well to learn more about melanoma.
This booklet discusses prevention strategies, detection, symptoms,
diagnosis, treatment, and followup care. It also has information about
resources and sources of support to help patients cope with melanoma.
Two more common and less serious types of skin cancer, squamous cell and
basal cell cancer, are discussed in another NCI booklet, What
You Need To Know About™ Skin Cancer. This and other NCI booklets
are listed in the Other Booklets section.
Cancer research has led to real progress against cancer--better survival
and an improved quality of life. Through research, our knowledge about
melanoma and other cancers keeps increasing. We are finding new ways to
detect and treat melanoma. The Cancer
Information Service (CIS) and other NCI resources listed under the National
Cancer Institute Information Resources section can provide the latest,
most accurate information on melanoma. To order this publication, call the
Cancer Information Service toll free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Words that may be new to readers are printed in italics.
Definitions of these and other terms related to melanoma are listed in the Glossary
section. For some words, a "sounds-like" spelling also is given.
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