Malignant Melanoma Each year over 32,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma - often adults in the prime of their family and professional lives. It is important that Melanoma be detected as early as possible. Detection and surgical treatment of the early stages of this malignancy are usually curative. Melanoma can be cured if it is diagnosed and treated when the tumor is thin and has not deeply invaded the skin. Thin invasive melanoma, less than 1 millimeter thick, has the potential for long-term survival in more than 90 percent of patients after surgical excision. In contrast, diagnosis and treatment in late stages often have dismal results. When a Melanoma becomes thick and deep, it often spread to other parts of the body and becomes difficult to contol.

Text & Images Courtesy of Three Rivers Endoscopy Center
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