What You Should Know About Skin Cancer

How skin cancer forms
Cancer is tissue which grows at an uncontrollable and unpredictable rate. Masses of tissue called tumors build up. Tumors can be benign or malignant. A malignant tumor is a cancer.

Benign tumors do not spread. Cancerous or malignant tumors invade and destroy surrounding normal tissue as they grow. Occasionally, cancer cells may break away from the tumor and spread (metastasize) through either the blood or lymphatic vessels to distant parts of the body, where they form additional tumors.

Skin cancer begins in the uppermost layers of the skin and invades downward with roots and to the sides on the surface of the skin. Unfortunately, these extensions cannot be directly visualized. What is apparent to the naked eye on the surface of the skin may actually be only the "tip of the iceberg."

Types of skin cancer
There are three primary forms of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma.

Most cases of skin cancer are either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cells make up most of the surface layer of the skin. Basal cells occur in smaller numbers and are located in the lowest part of the skin. Of the two, basal cell carcinoma occurs more frequently and grows more slowly. It rarely spreads through the blood or lymphatic systems to distant parts of the body.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common skin cancer. It is more serious, since it has a greater ability to spread internally to the nearby lymph nodes and to other parts of the body.

Malignant melanoma, on the other hand, may be life-threatening if not treated early. It usually appears as a brownish-black spot or bump in the skin that enlarges and sometimes bleeds. Sometimes melanomas arise in moles that have been present for many years.

Causes of skin cancer
Exposure to the sun appears to be the leading cause of skin cancer, which commonly develops on the face, neck, and arms, the most sun-exposed areas of the body. Fair-skinned people develop skin cancer more frequently than darker-skinned people. Cancers of the skin are most common in the southern United States.

Skin cancer also tends to be hereditary and occurs very frequently in certain ethnic groups, particularly those with fair complexion such as Northern Italians, Scandinavians, and Celtics (especially Irish and Anglo-Saxons).

Other possible causes of skin cancer include X-ray treatments, chronic trauma and certain chemicals.

Signs of skin cancer
Although most skin growths are benign, any new growth on the skin or a sore that does not heal should be brought to your dermatologist's or primary care physician's attention.

Skin cancer has many different appearances. Commonly, it may begin as a small, waxy lump that eventually bleeds and crusts, or as a dry, scaly, red patch. Although it may begin very small, skin cancer can grow to become very large.

Skin cancer sometimes forms from a pre-cancerous skin condition called actinic keratosis. These are red, rough patches of skin that develop as a result of sun damage. They are commonly found on the face, neck, or hands.

If the doctor thinks that a skin growth may be cancerous, a biopsy is performed. The whole area or a sample of the area is removed surgically and sent for examination under the microscope. The biopsy is used to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of cancer and to determine the type of any cancer found.

Treatment of skin cancer
Several effective methods are used to treat skin cancer. The treatment method chosen depends upon factors such as the location of the cancer, its size and previous therapies.

The treatment methods include surgical excision (this means surgically cutting the tumor out and closing the wound with stitches), curettage and electrodessication (scraping the tumor and burning the area with an electric needle), radiotherapy (X-ray treatments), cryosurgery (freezing), a topical cream (Aldara or imiquinmod) applied to the skin for several weeks, Photodynamic therapy (a medicine is applied to the area which increases sensitivity to light, then the area is exposed to red or blue light), and Mohs micrographic surgery. Many of these treatments have high cure rates, but Mohs micrographic surgery uniformly produces the highest success rate, especially for the most difficult tumors.

Defense against future skin cancer
The most important thing you can do to lessen the possibility of developing future skin cancers is to protect your skin from further sun damage. This is easily achieved by the daily application of sunscreens to all exposed skin, including the tops of the ears. In addition, further protection is achieved by wearing a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and appropriate protective clothing. Limiting exposure during the times of the day when the sun's rays are most intense (10:00 am to 4:00 pm) is also important.