GC: n
S: http://www.dermnetnz.org/lesions/melanoma.html (last access: 7 May 2016); DORLAND p. 1125.
N: 1. “tumor containing melanin,” 1826, medical Latin, from Greek melas (genitive melanos) “black” (see melanin) + -oma.
2. New Latin. First Known Use: 1838.
- a tumor containing dark pigment.
- a highly malignant tumor that starts in melanocytes of normal skin or moles and metastasizes rapidly and widely.
Plural: melanomas, melanomata.
3. melanome = malignant melanome: The most serious type of skin cancer, (malignant tumor) which originates in the cells that produce melanin (the dark protective pigment of the skin).
melanoma: When used alone the term refers to malignant melanoma.
4. Melanoma, a spreading and frequently recurring cancer of specialized skin cells (melanocytes) that produce the protective skin-darkening pigment melanin. An estimated 132,000 new melanoma cases are diagnosed worldwide each year. In the United States melanoma represents nearly 5 percent of all cases of cancer. Melanoma is a deadly disease; it is responsible for nearly three-quarters of all skin cancer deaths and is increasing in frequency. Unlike other skin growths, melanoma is always malignant.
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=melanoma (last access: 7 May 2016). 2. MW – http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melanoma (last access: 7 May 2016). 3. TERMIUM PLUS (last access: 7 May 2016). 4. EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/science/melanoma (last access: 7 May 2016).
SYN:
S:
CR: tumor
