The Melanoma Book

Read an Excerpt

Who is living with melanoma?
A forty-six-year-old man whose barber noticed a small black mole on his scalp during a regular haircut. An otherwise healthy eight-year-old girl, who came home from school one afternoon complaining of blurred vision.

Chapter 1: What Is Melanoma?
The moment you or a loved one has been diagnosed with melanoma, questions begin to crowd out almost all other thoughts: What does melanoma mean? What's the difference between it and other skin cancers? What are the implications for me and my family?

Chapter 1: Cancers of the Skin
Cancer can develop from almost any cell in the skin (or elsewhere in the body), but certain cells are far more frequent culprits than others. Non-pigmented cells as opposed to pigmented melanocytes are the predominant source of skin cancers.

From the founder and Co-Director of the renowned Columbia University Melanoma Center, the first comprehensive guide to help you prevent and survive a diagnosis of melanoma.

The fastest rising form of cancer worldwide, melanoma can strike at any age. Although rates of cure are higher than they used to be, experts often disagree about the best course of treatment and patients face a bewildering array of possibilities - often with precious little time to choose. Drawing on his years as one of the nation's foremost researchers and specialists in the field of melanoma treatment, Dr. Howard L. Kaufman shares his easy- to-follow, whole-life plan for detecting melanoma early, making informed decisions after a diagnosis, and taking an active role in treatment.

Dr. Howard L. Kaufman is founder and Co-Director of the Columbia University Melanoma Center, attending physician at The New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical Center, chief of surgical oncology, and associate professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has conducted numerous clinical research trials on vaccines for cancer, lectures widely on cancer treatment and has published more than 100 articles in the field of tumor immunology and immunotherapy.

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