Which cancer arises most commonly in the skin as a malignancy of melanocytes?

Which cancer arises most commonly in the skin as a malignancy of melanocytes?

• A. Melanoma arising from melanocytes in skin.
• B. Lymphoma arising from lymph nodes.
• C. Myeloma arising from plasma cells.
• D. Leukemia arising from blood cells.

Answer: (A)

Melanoma is a cancer that starts in pigment-producing melanocytes located in the epidermis of the skin. Melanocytes normally reside in the skin to give color by producing melanin; when these cells become malignant, the tumor that forms is melanoma. This is the malignancy that arises from melanocytes in the skin, distinguishing it from cancers that originate from other cell types. The other options come from different lineages—lymphoma from lymphocytes, myeloma from plasma cells, and leukemia from blood-forming cells—so they do not represent a malignancy of melanocytes in the skin.

Melanoma is a cancer that starts in pigment-producing melanocytes located in the epidermis of the skin. Melanocytes normally reside in the skin to give color by producing melanin; when these cells become malignant, the tumor that forms is melanoma. This is the malignancy that arises from melanocytes in the skin, distinguishing it from cancers that originate from other cell types. The other options come from different lineages—lymphoma from lymphocytes, myeloma from plasma cells, and leukemia from blood-forming cells—so they do not represent a malignancy of melanocytes in the skin.