I agree with Karen, yes most melanoma's can be caught early but on areas of your body that you can't see very well, if they progress, it is possible that it can metastasize into your lungs, liver, and bone. Way to late to catch, and if that happens........
Course I say this tongue in cheek b/c I have tanned for the last 2 summers. Last year I tanned b/c I wanted a base tan before I went to AZ and this year I was in a wedding. I haven't tanned since the end of June tho, so I am getting paler and paler everyday.
Oh well.
And BTW I also work in the xray dept. So I am doubling up on my radiation exposure!