melanoma

American  

[mel-uh-noh-muh] / ˌmɛl əˈnoʊ mə /

noun

PLURAL

melanomas, melanomata

1. any of several types of skin tumors characterized by the malignant growth of melanocytes.

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melanoma British  

/ ˌmɛləˈnəʊmə /

noun

1. pathol a malignant tumour composed of melanocytes, occurring esp in the skin, often as a result of excessive exposure to sunlight

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melanoma Scientific  

/ mĕl′ə-nō′mə /

PLURAL

melanomas

1. A dark-pigmented benign or malignant tumor that arises from a melanocyte and occurs most commonly in the skin. Malignant melanoma metastasizes quickly and is associated with sun exposure.

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melanoma Cultural  

1. A serious, often lethal, form of skin cancer.

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Discover More

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun (for example, by too much sunbathing) can cause this disease.

Etymology

Origin of melanoma

First recorded in 1825–35; melan- + -oma

Example Sentences

Drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors target PD1 and have already proven effective at reviving T cells in cancers such as melanoma.

From Science Daily

"We did the first studies on patients with melanoma and kidney cancer, and the results were very good, and others with glioblastoma. Now we're hoping to carry out a phase three clinical study."

From Science Daily

One-third of melanoma patients who failed to improve on other immunotherapies experienced remission on one of these experimental treatments by Replimune.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Our findings suggest that melanoma risk could extend beyond occupational settings to entire communities," she said.

From Science Daily

A few months ago, Martinez was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer — a byproduct of a five-year fight with uveal melanoma.

From Los Angeles Times