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Understanding Skin Cancer
Skin cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make
up the skin. Normally, skin cells grow and divide to form
new cells. Every day skin cells grow old and die, and new
cells take their place.
Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form
when the skin does not need them, and old cells do not die
when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called
a growth or tumor.
Growths or tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign growths are not cancer:
- Benign growths are rarely life-threatening.
- Generally, benign growths can be removed. They
usually do not grow back.
- Cells from benign growths do not invade the tissues
around them.
- Cells from benign growths do not spread to other
parts of the body.
- Malignant growths are cancer:
- Malignant growths are generally more serious than
benign growths. They may be life-threatening. However,
the two most common types of skin cancer cause only
about one out of every thousand deaths from cancer.
- Malignant growths often can be removed. But sometimes
they grow back.
- Cells from malignant growths can invade and damage
nearby tissues and organs.
- Cells from some malignant growths can spread to
other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is
called metastasis.
Types of Skin Cancer
Skin cancers are named for the type of cells that become
cancerous.
The two most common types of skin cancer are basal
cell cancer and squamous
cell cancer. These cancers usually form on the
head, face, neck, hands, and arms. These areas are exposed
to the sun. But skin cancer can occur anywhere.
- Basal cell skin cancer grows slowly.
It usually occurs on areas of the skin that have been in
the sun. It is most common on the face. Basal cell cancer
rarely spreads to other parts of the body.
- Squamous cell skin cancer also occurs
on parts of the skin that have been in the sun. But it
also may be in places that are not in the sun. Squamous
cell cancer sometimes spreads to lymph
nodes and organs inside the body.
If skin cancer spreads from its original place to another
part of the body, the new growth has the same kind of abnormal
cells and the same name as the primary growth.
It is still called skin cancer.
Risk Factors
Doctors cannot explain why one person develops skin cancer
and another does not. However, we do know that skin cancer
is not contagious. You cannot "catch" it from another person.
Research has shown that people with certain risk
factors are more likely than others to develop
skin cancer. A risk factor is something that may increase
the chance of developing a disease.
Studies have found the following risk factors for skin cancer:
-
Ultraviolet
(UV) radiation: UV radiation
comes from the sun, sunlamps, tanning beds, or
tanning booths. A person's risk of skin cancer
is related to lifetime exposure to UV radiation.
Most skin cancer appears after age 50, but the
sun damages the skin from an early age.
UV radiation affects everyone. But people who have fair
skin that freckles or burns easily are at greater risk.
These people often also have red or blond hair and light-colored
eyes. But even people who tan can get skin cancer.
People who live in areas that get high levels of UV
radiation have a higher risk of skin cancer. In the United
States, areas in the south (such as Texas and Florida)
get more UV radiation than areas in the north (such as
Minnesota). Also, people who live in the mountains get
high levels of UV radiation.
UV radiation is present even in cold weather or on a
cloudy day.
- Scars or burns on the skin
- Infection with certain human
papillomaviruses
- Exposure to arsenic at work
- Chronic skin inflammation or
skin ulcers
- Diseases that make the skin sensitive to the
sun, such as xeroderma
pigmentosum, albinism,
and basal
cell nevus syndrome
- Radiation
therapy
- Medical conditions or drugs that suppress the immune
system
- Personal history of one or more skin cancers
- Family history of skin cancer
- Actinic
keratosis: Actinic keratosis is
a type of flat, scaly growth on the skin. It is most
often found on areas exposed to the sun, especially
the face and the backs of the hands. The growths
may appear as rough red or brown patches on the skin.
They may also appear as cracking or peeling of the
lower lip that does not heal. Without treatment,
a small number of these scaly growths may turn into
squamous cell cancer.
- Bowen's
disease: Bowen's disease is a type
of scaly or thickened patch on the skin. It may turn
into squamous cell skin cancer.
If you think you may be at risk for skin cancer, you should
discuss this concern with your doctor. Your doctor may be able
to suggest ways to reduce your risk and can plan a schedule
for checkups.
Prevention
The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect yourself
from the sun. Also, protect children from an early age. Doctors
suggest that people of all ages limit their time in the sun
and avoid other sources of UV radiation:
- It is best to stay out of the midday sun (from mid-morning
to late afternoon) whenever you can. You also should protect
yourself from UV radiation reflected by sand, water, snow,
and ice. UV radiation can go through light clothing, windshields,
windows, and clouds.
- Wear long sleeves and long pants of tightly woven fabrics,
a hat with a wide brim, and sunglasses that absorb UV.
- Use sunscreen lotions.
Sunscreen may help prevent skin cancer, especially broad-spectrum
sunscreen (to filter UVB and UVA rays)
with a sun
protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. But you
still need to avoid the sun and wear clothing to protect
your skin.
- Stay away from sunlamps and tanning booths.
To read the rest of this great article from the National
Cancer Institute, please click here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin/page1
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