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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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