Out of all the cancer types, skin cancer, especially melanoma, is the most dangerous of all. Specifically because of how fast it spreads throughout your skin, giving the person infected zero warnings before things get really serious.
Melanoma develops when the skin cells, the ones that give our skin its color, go rabid and out of control, creating cancer cells that start spreading.
A big cause for this change in skin cells is overexposure to tanning beds, and long exposure to UV rays from the sun.
The Stages of Melanoma Explained
Melanoma comes in a total of four stages. The early stages, which are stages 0 and 1, mean that cancer hasn’t spread as much, and is still curable, according to Cancer.org.
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The lesser the stage, the more curable it is, and the lesser cancer has spread to the body.
Stages 2, 3, and 4, termed the late stages of melanoma, indicate a larger spread of melanoma toward other parts of the body.
Stage 4 melanoma specifically indicates that cancer cells have traveled elsewhere in your body, and formed a new tumor.
Yet, despite malignant melanoma having the highest death rate, most people have a high chance of getting cured in the early stages of melanoma.
This is because there are a variety of different symptoms that show before cancer spreads to the critical organs.
Keep reading more to find out about these symptoms, and how to prevent the future spread of melanoma!
Symptom # 1: Swelling in Lymph Nodes
Lymph Nodes are the fighting agents of our immune system that help keep the infections out, as well as filter substances that pass through the lymphatic liquid.
As HealthDirect explains, “They are part of the body’s immune system that filters the lymphatic liquid, a substance that contains waste products from body tissues.”
When melanoma starts to spread, the cancer cells tend to travel to the lymph nodes closest to the original place of the tumor.
According to an article chief edited by Dr. Amanda Oakley, “These nodes catch substances such as cancer cells and bacteria. When that happens, the lymph nodes become swollen.”
Symptom # 2: Persistent Headaches and Visual Impairment
There’s been a long debate on whether persistent headaches and melanoma are related, with questions like “can melanoma cause headaches?” asked quite frequently.
The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) answers it efficiently; “Not all headaches connect themselves to melanoma, but when it spreads to the brain, people experience headaches, paralysis on one side of the body, and visual impairment and changes.”
Symptom # 3: Trouble Breathing
Though it happens quite rarely, the possibility of the spread of melanoma in the lungs isn’t nonexistent.
What makes lung melanoma even worse is that the carrier won’t feel any difference in breathing until the tumor grows big.
However, for early signs, persistent coughing, acute pain in the chest area, and trouble taking deep breaths are some symptoms that show that melanoma has spread to the lungs.
Symptom # 4: Loss of Appetite and Weight Loss
Cancer and weight loss go are heavily interrelated whether it’s melanoma or any other type.
However, in the case of melanoma, weight loss and loss in appetite serve as an indication of the spread of melanoma.
According to WebMD, “it’s common for people with metastatic melanoma to lose a lot of weight, feel fatigued, and have zero appetites all the time.”
More times than often, patients with melanoma show symptoms of cachexia, a complex disorder that induces extreme weight loss in cancer patients.
Symptom # 5: Abdominal Pain
In the early stages, it can be hard to tell if your melanoma is spreading to other parts of the body, especially in the liver.
That happens because often abdominal pain is ignored as “just another stomach pain” by people, while melanoma continues to spread.
Tenderness and abdominal pain above the stomach is a strong flag that shows that melanoma might have made its way towards the liver.
Other signs that indicate the spread of cancer to the liver include fluid buildup, yellowing of the eyes, color change in the skin, and more.
Bottom Line
The faster you find the symptoms of cancer spread, the more possible it is for you to get completely cured of it.
Prevention is always better than cure, and this phrase holds an extra shred of importance when it comes to cancer.
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Look for these signs in your everyday life, and when things don’t make sense, visit your doctor for a routine checkup to keep your health in check.
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