Melanomas can also spread through the lymphatic system and the blood to just about every organ in the body, with the lungs and liver being the most common sites.
What Causes It Intermittent episodes of intense sun exposure causing sunburns rather than tanning is more commonly associated with melanoma than the sort of chronic exposure to sunlight associated with more benign skin cancers. Typically, office workers or schoolchildren who spend hours on the beach on weekends, rather than farmers, dockworkers or sailors who work in the sun daily, are liable to develop melanomas.
There is no conclusive evidence to support an association with hormones , although anecdotes continue to surface that suggest at least some women are highly susceptible to developing melanoma or recurrent melanoma when they are pregnant or have taken oral contraceptives. Individual patients have had a striking history of recurrences and rapid progression of disease related to pregnancy. Taking oral contraceptives, which contain mostly progestational agents, has also been associated with an increased incidence of superficial spreading melanomas.
