The next time you clip your toenails, take a minute and a closer look at your toes and the rest of your feet — that extra 60 seconds could save your life. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. It begins in the cells of the skin that make the dark skin color (melanocytes).
It is also called malignant melanoma because this type of cancer spreads to other parts of the body as it grows. Worldwide the number of melanoma is increasing faster than any other form of skin cancer among white and light-skinned dark people. Whites are 10 times more likely to develop melanoma than Blacks.
However, studies suggest more than half of all melanoma cases in Blacks involve the foot, and because of late diagnosis can lead to higher death rates. Melanoma is the most common malignant (cancer) tumor of the foot. It often goes unnoticed until it is too late.
Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a type of melanoma which accounts for most, or 70 percent, of all the melanoma in dark-skinned or Asian people. Half of the people who learn they have melanoma of the foot die within five years because the cancer had already spread throughout their body by the time they noticed it and was diagnosed. Melanoma typically occurs on skin not exposed to the sun, on the soles of the feet and under or around the nails.
It is characterized by a dark mole or spot that can turn into cancer. The cause of melanoma is based on the type. Anyone can get melanoma, but people with fair skin, freckles or have blond.