Know more about Skin Cancer Types

Cancer is a disease that manifests itself in different parts of the body. There are many types of cancer like blood, skin, uterine and lung cancer. Of the many types of cancer, the form of cancer which is most avoidable today is skin cancer. Skin cancer starts with excessive exposure to sun’s UV rays.

Skin cancer exists in different forms while affecting different parts and exhibiting different symptoms. There are basically three skin cancer types that have different symptoms:

1. Squamous cell carcinoma is one of the three skin cancer types that can usually found in places of the body that are exposed to the sun. This includes the ears, face and mouth. One symptom of this form of skin cancer is a bump that tends to turn into an open sore. This sore is a form of ulceration that is reddish with a flat spot that is sometimes crusty and comes with a bump grows larger and a sore that does not heal. If left untreated, this bump can spread quickly to other parts of the body like the nerve routes, bloodstream and lymphatic system.

2. Basal cell carcinoma is the second in skin cancer types and accounts for about 75%PRCTG% of the diagnosed cases of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is therefore the most common form of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma usually occurs on the face, neck and hands. It is a highly treatable form of cancer that rarely spreads to other parts of the body. Symptoms of this skin cancer type includes a sore that oozes or bleeds, an irritable area of red, a yellow or white area that looks like a scar and a pink, pearly bump.

3. The third of the skin cancer types is melanoma. This is considered to be the most dangerous and deadly form of skin cancer. Melanoma can occur on any part of the body, where the hands, legs and trunk are the most commonly affected areas of the body. It is only when melanoma is detected early that it is treatable. The symptoms for melanoma include a mole, freckle or any other new or existing spot on the body that tends to change in color, size, shape or appearance. Sometimes these spots may take an irregular outline, so that it exists in more than one color.

The best defense to adopt for preventing skin cancer is to avoid as much excessive exposure to the sun as possible. So the best thing to do is to wear a sunscreen when outdoors, and wherever possible, to stay in shady areas.

Skin Cancer Overview

Cancer is a disease that manifests itself in numerous forms in the human body. People can suffer from different forms of cancer like lung cancer, uterus cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer. Obviously, skin cancer is a malignant growth found on the skin and is the fastest growing type of cancer in America.
Skin cancer usually develops in the epidermis, or the outer most layer of skin. This makes tumors here clearly visible and thus early detection of the cancer is possible. Skin cancer has numerous causes, and exists in three forms, where each form is named after the skin cell it arises from. These are basal cell carcinoma, melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

It is possible to prevent cancer caused by UV exposure by avoiding exposure to sunlight and other UV sources. Wearing sun protective clothes and using a broad spectrum sun screen when outdoors prove to be effective in preventing cancers induced by UV exposure. Any form of cancer can occur when cells transform so that they grow and multiply in the body, without any normal controls. This multiplication of cells leads to a mass called tumor, and the tumors of the skin are called lesions. It is only if the tumors are malignant that they become cancerous.

Malignant tumors are tumors that invade neighboring tissues with their uncontrolled growth. In fact, these tumors can invade other organs through the lymphatic system or bloodstream; and this process is referred to as metastasis. These tumors not only invade the tissues, but also take the oxygen and nutrients it needs for survival and normal functioning.

The most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are malignant but unlikely to spread in the body. However if not treated early, they may become locally disfigured. A significant number of these cancer cases are malignant melanomas which belong to a highly aggressive form of cancer that spreads to other parts of the body and prove to be fatal if not treated early.

Skin cancer usually starts as precancerous lesions which are changes in the skin that may not be cancer, but may prove to become cancerous over time. These changes are referred to as dysplasia; and some
dysplastic changes in the skin are actinic keratosis which may develop into squamous cell carcinoma and nevi or moles that develop into melanoma after some time. If someone have about 10 – 40 moles on the body; it is only a very few moles that actually become cancerous. It is the moles that look different from others that have to be examined to detect skin cancer early.