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MelanomaThe answer is B. People with fair skin, especially those with red or blond hair and blue eyes, are at high risk of getting melanoma because their skin cells have less melanin. Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer that begins in cells called melanocytes, which produce the skin pigment called melanin. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, melanocytes start producing more melanin, causing the skin to tan. Sometimes, clusters of melanocytes and tissue surrounding it form non-cancerous growths in the form of moles. If these moles are irregular in shape and change in size and texture or carry red, black or brown pigmentation, they may be a form of melanoma. Melanomas develop between the shoulders and hips in both men and women; but, in women they sometimes also develop on the lower legs. So, who else is at high risk of getting melanoma? Apart from people
who continuously expose themselves to sunlight and its ultraviolet rays,
people who have a history of melanoma in their families and people who
have had blistering sunburns as a child are at high risk. People living
in the Southwestern part of the United States are also at risk because
this area is prone to high ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
June 7, 2003 | |||||
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