An Overview of Important Genetic Aspects in Melanoma

Cancer of the skin is the most common form of malignancy in humans and is divided into two categories – non-malignant skin cancer and cutaneous melanoma. Non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell and small cell carcinoma) make up a vast majority of skin cancers. According to data from National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2012, more than 2 million new cases of non-melanomas will be identified with less than a 1000 deaths. Despite according for only 4% of all cases, melanoma is the deadliest of skin cancers resulting in over 79% of skin cancer deaths [1]. In the United States, melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in men and the sixth most common in women. In 2011, 70,230 new melanoma cases were identified with 8,790 deaths. The median age of diagnosis is between 45-55; although 25% of melanomas occur in individ‐ uals over 40 years.