1. Melanoma is a type of cancer that comes from the melanocytes which are the cells that contain color.
2. More than 53,000 people a year are diagnosed with melanoma. It is estimated that in 2006 there will be 62,190 new cases and 7,910 deaths. Approximately 1 person dies from melanoma each hour.
3. Melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in the United States and worldwide. This is especially true for people between the ages of 20 and 30.
4. Risk factors for developing melanoma include sensitivity to the sun, genetic history, and abnormal moles.
5. Melanoma symptoms include: a mole with irregular edges or borders, a mole that is more than 1 color, a mole that is asymmetrical, a mole that itches, a mole that oozes, bleeds, is crusted over, or is ulcerated and new moles that grow near old moles.
6. Metastatic melanoma is the most advanced type of melanoma. Melanoma is considered metastatic when the cancer has spread from the original place on the body to other areas where it then continues to develop.
7. There are four stages of melanoma from 1-4 with 1 being the earliest stage and 4 being the most advanced stage. If melanoma is caught in the early stages it can be treated.
8. Treatment for melanoma includes surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of all of the above.
9. People with dark skin are not immune to melanoma and tend to develop it on the palms of their hands, soles of the feet, in their eyes, and under fingernails and toenails.
10. You should visit a dermatologist once a year if you have a family history of melanoma.

This information was found at the National Cancer Institute and Tustison.com.