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Melanoma Skin Cancer

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Melanoma Skin Cancer
Health Information Exchange
Stacey Cannon
BIOS-260 DeVry University
Professor Sims
Sunday December 9, 2012

Melanoma Skin Cancer As early as the 1930’s, sun tanning was encouraged by medical professionals to promote skin health. Scientific research during the late 1890’s played a huge role in contributing to the skin diseases we now know to exist today. During the turn of the 19th century, there was a chronic and progressive disease known as Lupus Vulgaris. The disease left infected individuals with painful cutaneous skin sores. Lesions appeared on individuals around the face, nose, lips, cheeks, ears and eyelids and proved resistant to all treatment leaving individuals with disfiguring skin ulcers. It was not until 1896 when a physician and scientist named Niels Ryberg Finsen discovery the relationship between sunlight and the deficiency of vitamin D in patients. Based on his findings, “he demonstrated that the most refractive rays form the sun may have a stimulating effect on the tissues”. (“Niels Ryberg Finsen”). The breakthrough used “concentrated light radiation”, now known as Photobiomodulation, to be beneficial in use to treat diseases like Lupus Vulgaris and proved to be successful. (“Niels Ryberg Finsen”). The success of these light treatments went on to win Finsen the Nobel Prize Award in 1903 in Physiology/Medication for his findings. Later by the 1930’s medical professions encouraged individuals to gain sun exposure to promote healthy levels of vitamin D and people began to spend more leisure time in the sun. (Randle, 2010). Eventually, the development of sunlamps, commercial tanning beds, and tanning salons came into our lives. Perhaps today, we may consider this to offer the beginning of the melanoma epidemic. Although it cannot pinpoint as when the melanoma epidemic began, but it could very well have attributed to it.
Skin cancer is described as an abnormal growth of skin cells that is often occurs due to over exposure of ultra-violent



References: American Cancer Society. (2012). Skin cancer. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer/index Mayo Clinic Staff. (2011, August 11). Mayo clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/melanoma/DS00439/DSECTION=symptoms Mayo Clinic Staff. (2012, June 12). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/melanoma/DS00439 National cancer institute. (2011, January 11). Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin/page6 National Cancer Institute (2010). Retrieved from http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html “Niels Ryberg Finsen – Biography”. Nobelprize.org. 9 Dec 2012 Randle, H. (2010, May 7). Suntanning: differences in perceptions throughout history... Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9146690 “Works cited” Ramchander G, Shrihar R, Gupta TP, Aggarwal S. U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health. (2011). Disseminated lupus vulgaris. Retrieved from website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21548522 Cole M.D., G. W. (2012, December). Melanoma causes symptoms and treatments. Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/melanoma/page2_em.htm

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