SPOTLIGHT: Melanoma and skin cancers

With 4 February 2021 being World Cancer Day, we have taken a closer look at one of the most common skin cancers and one which results in frequent serious illness claims, malignant melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. The name, like many medical terms, is derived from the Greek words; melas, meaning dark, and oma, meaning tumour. The first recorded descriptions of melanoma appear in the writings of Hippocrates around the 5th century BC. Mention of a fatal black tumour was found in 17th century European medical literature and the first recorded surgical removal was in 1787 at St. G...