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What is It ?
Melanoma is a disease of the skin in which cancerous cells develop
in the melanocytes, the cells that produce color in the skin.
Melanoma is sometimes called cutaneous melanoma or malignant
melanoma.
Melanoma is not the only type of skin cancer, but it is the most
serious type. The top layer of the skin (the epidermis) contains
three types of cells that can become cancerous: basal cells,
squamous cells, and melanocytes. Basal cell cancer and squamous cell
cancer, are much more common than melanoma. Melanoma, which starts
in the melanocytes, is less common but more serious and difficult to
treat than the other two types.
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