Melanoma is certainly the most dangerous type of cancer, though it is not the most common type. It is so because it tends to spread. Unfortunately, when melanoma spreads, it is hard to treat. Thus, it is all the more important for you to understand the causes and different stages of melanoma.

Causes
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It develops when there’s some abnormality in the cells that produce melanin. These cells are known as melanocytes and are known to give one’s skin complexion or tone or color. In a normal and healthy person, there is an orderly and controlled development of the skin cells, wherein the healthy cells would develop, and the older cells would be pushed towards the surface of the skin, where they die and shed off. However, if ever the cells develop certain DNA damage, the new cells might grow excessively, then that could lead to a production of a few cancerous cells.

The true cause as to what damages the DNA in the healthy skin cells, and how this causes melanoma is not known. Some studies prove that melanoma could occur as a result of a bundle of factors that include both genetic and environmental factors.

Additionally, the doctors believe that even exposure to the harmful UV (ultraviolet) rays from the sun could also be a common cause of melanoma. Moreover, the tanning beds and tanning are another leading cause of melanoma.

However, not all melanoma is caused by UV light. It is, particularly, true in case of the melanoma that occurs on the parts of the body that aren’t exposed to the skin.

This means that in addition to the sun and the UV rays, there are certainly other factors, too, involved in the development of melanoma.

Stages
Once melanoma has been diagnosed, the next logical step is to determine which stage of melanoma it is. It would be necessary to examine the stage or the extent of cancer in the body. There are five stages of cancer, and each stage is denoted by the numbers 0 to 4.

Stage 0: If melanoma cancer is in Stage 0, then it means that the cancer is still on the epidermis. It is also called melanoma in situ.

Stage I: In this, the cancer is approximately 2 mm thick but hasn’t spread to the nearby lymph nodes or even any other organ of the body. This cancer might or might not ulcerate.

Stage II: In this stage, cancer has a thickness anywhere between 1 mm to 4 mm. However, in some cases, the thickness might even be more than that. In Stage II also, cancer doesn’t ulcerate always. Furthermore, in this stage, cancer hasn’t spread to any distant or nearby sites or lymph nodes.

Stage III: Under this stage, cancer has started spreading and has already reached one or two lymph nodes in the vicinity. However, it is still controlled, in a sense that it hasn’t yet started affecting the distant sites. In Stage III, one might not be able to see original cancer. When it is visible, it is ulcerated and also thicker than 4 mm.

Stage IV: In this stage, cancer has aggravated and has spread across the distant organs and the lymph nodes.