http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/22/content_8026086.htm
Study: melanoma on scalp, neck most deadly
BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Melanoma, a form of skin cancer, is the
most deadly when it occurs on the scalp or neck, according to a study in the
Archives of Dermatology Monday.
Researchers analyzed 51,704 melanoma cases in the United States from 1992
to 2003 and found patients with scalp or neck melanomas died at 1.84 times the
rate of patients with melanoma elsewhere on the body, including the face or
ears.
Scalp and neck cancers were often found later. Part of the reason may be
that diagnosis may be delayed because it can be obscured by hair on the scalp.
But that probably is not the only explanation -- and these melanomas for a
variety of reasons may be more aggressive than those appearing somewhere,
according to Dr. Nancy Thomas of the UNC School of Medicine and Lineberger
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Scalp-neck melanomas were thicker (0.8 millimeters) than other melanomas
(0.6 millimeters) and more likely to be ulcerated. The study also found that
lymph node involvement was more common in cases of scalp-neck melanomas.
"Only 6 percent of people with melanoma have it on their scalp or neck, but
they accounted for 10 percent of all melanoma deaths," said Thomas.
The study placed the five-year survival rate for people with scalp or neck
melanomas at 83 percent, compared with 92 percent for those with melanomas
elsewhere on the body. The 10-year survival rate for people with scalp or neck
melanomas was 76 percent, compared to 89 percent for other melanomas.
Melanoma can be linked to sun exposure, especially sunburns during
childhood. People with fairer skin are at elevated risk, and some people have a
family history of melanoma.
(Agencies)
____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
