Skin Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Definition

Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin, which can have many causes. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis i.e. the outermost layer of skin. In this condition a tumor is usually clearly visible. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages. There are three major types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are slow growing and highly treatable, especially if found early. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It affects deeper layers of the skin and has the greatest potential to spread to other tissues in the body. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 500,000 new cases are reported each year-and the incidence is rising faster than any other type of cancer. While skin cancers can be found on any part of the body, about 80 percent appear on the face, head, or neck.

Causes

1. Having less pigment in your skin provides less protection from damaging ultra violet radiation. If you have blond or red hair, light-colored eyes, and you freckle or sunburn easily, you're much more likely to develop skin cancer
2. Excessive sun exposure may also cause this disease.
3. People who live in sunny, warm climates are exposed to more sunlight than are people who live in colder climates.
4. People who have many moles or abnormal moles called dysplastic nevi are at increased risk of skin cancer.
5. If one of your parents or a sibling has had skin cancer, you may be at increased risk of the disease.
6. Exposure to environmental chemicals, including some herbicides, increases your risk of skin cancer.

Symptoms

1. Small blood vessels may be visible within the tumor.
2. A central depression with crusting and bleeding frequently develops.
3. The trouble spot is usually larger than 6 mm in diameter i.e. about the size of a pencil eraser.
4. Warning signs include change in size, shape, color, or elevation of a mole.
5. Melanomas are often a mixture of black, tan, brown, blue, red, or white.
6. Dark lesions on your palms, soles, fingertips and toes, or on mucous membranes lining your mouth, nose, vagina and anus.

Treatment

1. Cryosurgery: Your doctor may destroy actinic keratoses and some small, early skin cancers by freezing them with liquid nitrogen. The dead tissue sloughs off when it thaws.
2. Excisional surgery: In this surgery the doctor cuts out the cancerous tissue and a surrounding margin of healthy skin. A wide excision which removes extra normal skin around the tumor may be recommended in some cases.
3. Laser therapy: A precise, intense beam of light vaporizes growths, generally with little damage to surrounding tissue and with minimal bleeding, swelling and scarring.
4. Radiation Therapy: People who cannot undergo surgery may be treated by external radiation therapy.
5. Chemotherapy: In this treatment drugs are used to kill cancer cells. For cancers limited to the top layer of skin, creams or lotions containing anti-cancer agents may be applied directly to the skin.