Skin Cancer, Melanoma

Cause

The most common causes of melanoma are:

• Exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
  • Damage to the DNA of melanocytes from exposure to the sun and its UV light radiation is one of the most important factors in the cause of melanoma. Other factors, such as family history of melanoma, put you at higher risk, but exposure to the sun is the factor you can best control.
  • The sun is most intense between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. when it is more directly overhead. It is also more intense when you are at high altitudes.
  • Severe sunburn during childhood increases the risk of melanoma as an adult.¹
  • Tanning salons also expose your body to UV radiation and appear to increase your risk of developing melanoma.²
  • Treatment of psoriasis with the combination of psoralen and UVA (PUVA) increases the risk of melanoma for several years after treatment is finished.³
  • The depletion of the ozone layer may be affecting the incidence of melanoma.
• Family history of melanoma.
• Atypical moles.
• An impaired immune system, especially if you have had an organ transplant, leukemia, or lymphoma.

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Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH	Last Updated: January 11, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology
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