We're still basking in the hot sun, bronzing our bodies in tanning beds, and playing outdoors without slathering on the sunscreen. What will it take, I wonder, for our society to catch on, to take real steps toward preventing skin cancer?

It seems education isn't enough. Most of us know by now all it takes is one bad sunburn to increase our risk of skin cancer, yet we continue to collect burn after burn after burn. Perhaps like all habit-forming behaviors -- think smoking -- it takes something tragic in our lives to inspire change. When someone we know gets lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking or someone we know develops melanoma after years of sunbathing, maybe we get the hint. Maybe

Now, I know you don't personally know this young woman -- she calls herself Miss Melanoma -- but I suggest you read her story. And I recommend you take what happened to her -- she lost part of her foot to melanoma and is currently battling a spread of the disease -- and allow it to really sink in, allow it to motivate you to take cover from the sun, before something like this happens to you. Because it can.

The Numbers

Cancer of the skin is the most common of all cancers. Melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease, accounts for three percent of all skin cancer cases. The number of new cases is on the rise in the United States, and the American Cancer Society predicts there will be 59,940 new diagnoses in 2007. About 8,110 will die from melanoma during this same year.

Presentation and Risk Factors

Melanoma, typically presented in the form of a brown or black mole, often appears on the trunk of fair-skinned men and on the lower legs of fair-skinned women -- but it can occur in other locations too. And while those with dark skin have a decreased risk of the disease, dark-skinned people can still develop melanoma.

No one knows exactly what causes melanoma, but we do know that certain risk factors are linked to the disease. Too much exposure to UV radiation from the sun, tanning beds, and booths; the presence of certain moles; fair skin; family history; immune suppression; advanced age; and gender -- men are more likely to contract this cancer -- all serve to increase risk. But like all cancers, not everyone with risk factors will get the disease and those with no risk factors may still develop it.

Prevention

Prevention is key. We should all avoid too much exposure to the sun, avoid the sun during the middle of the day when UV light is most intense, cover up with clothing and hats, wear sunscreen and lip balm with SPF of 15 or more, wear sunglasses with 99 percent UV absorption, avoid tanning beds, and report to the doctor with any suspicious moles.

We must all be vigilant about checking our own skin once per month. Any change in the pattern of moles, freckles, and other marks should be reported to our physicians who can conduct clinical skin exams.

Detection

If a doctor suspects melanoma, he/she will take a sample of the skin for investigation under a microscope. This biopsy process can take several forms. An incisional biopsy removes a portion of the skin tumor. An excisional biopsy removes the entire tumor. A shave biopsy takes off the top layers of the skin. A punch biopsy takes a deeper sample of the skin. Excisional biopsies are mostly used when melanoma is suspected.

Diagnosis

When melanoma is diagnosed, an important question arises: has the disease spread? To make this determination, fine needle aspirations, lymph node biopsies, sentinel node biopsies, x-rays, CT scans, MRI, PET scans, and nuclear bone scans are used.

Staging

Melanoma is staged using 0 and the Roman numerals I-IV. The lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, such as IV, indicates a more serious cancer.

Each melanoma tumor is measured. The thinner the melanoma, the better the outlook. Mostly, melanomas less than 1/25 of an inch in depth -- about the size of a period or a comma -- have a very small chance of spreading. Tumors that are ulcerated -- the covering layer of skin is absent -- have worse prognoses. Tumor thickness also helps guide treatment.

Treatment

Some melanomas can be completely cured by a minor surgery called simple excision. Sometimes amputation is necessary, along with lymph node dissection. If the cancer has spread, doctors assume it cannot be cured by surgery. Chemotherapy can become an option in these cases, although it is not often successful for melanoma. Immunotherapy -- designed to boost the immune system in its attack against the disease -- can be used and so can radiation. Radiation is not typically used for the original tumor but to treat cancer that has spread.

Survival

The five-year-survival rate for melanoma is as follows:

Stage 0 = 97 percent
Stage I = 90 to 95 percent
Stage II = 45 to 78 percent
Stage III - 28 to 70 percent
Stage IV = 18 percent

The information contained in this post is by no means exhaustive. For more details about melanoma, visit the following resources:

American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
Medline Plus
Melanoma. com
Melanoma Research Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation

Source: American Cancer Society