Melanoma of Scalp and Survival Rates

Melanoma of scalp is what occurs when a cancerous melanoma tumor begins to or already has formed on the scalp of a person. Melanoma of scalp is generally considered to be rare. In fact melanoma of scalp is estimated to only account for around seven percent of the total cases of melanoma. Despite the fact that it is so much rarer than even melanoma of other parts of the body a recent study has suggested that melanoma of scalp has a lower five and ten year survival rate.

A recent study was conducted which found some evidence to suggest that melanoma of scalp could have a significantly higher chance of ultimately leading to death. This study compared over fifty thousand cases of melanoma in the past ten years and found that while melanoma of scalp account for seven percent of the cases of melanoma it also accounted for ten percent of the deaths. Most experts feel that melanoma of scalp is not a more aggressive type of melanoma but instead it is simply less likely that a doctor or patient will notice melanoma of scalp in the early stages due to the fact that the hair line can cover the marks up.

Some experts have suggested that melanoma of scalp may in fact be more aggressive. They have also suggested that its location may make it more prone to eventually attacking the brain and ultimately leading to brain cancer. Further studies will likely be performed for melanoma of scalp but unfortunately at this time there is not enough evidence to verify either stance on it.

Melanoma of scalp is treated like every other form of melanoma. It may be more difficult to detect under the hair line but most doctors agree that feeling the scalp is a good way to determine if any unusually shaped moles or lesions have formed on the scalp. Melanoma of scalp causes lesions and bumps which are very similar in style to the ones caused on other parts of the body by melanoma. If caught early enough melanoma of scalp can be removed quite easily and with a high degree of success using surgery.

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