Benign Tumors That Develop From Other Types Of Skin Cells
- Seborrheic keratoses: tan, brown, or black raised spots with a waxy texture
- Hemangiomas: benign blood vessel growths, often called strawberry spots
- Lipomas: soft growths made up of fat cells
- Warts: rough-surfaced growths caused by some types of human papilloma virus
Most of these tumors rarely, if ever, turn into cancers. There are many other kinds of benign skin tumors, but most are not very common.
What Causes Melanoma Skin Cancer
Many risk factors for melanoma have been found, but its not always clear exactly how they might cause cancer.
For example, while most moles never turn into a melanoma, some do. Researchers have found some gene changes inside mole cells that may cause them to become melanoma cells. But its still not known exactly why some moles become cancerous while most dont.
DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes, which control how our cells function. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than just how we look.
Some genes control when our cells grow, divide into new cells, and die:
- Genes that help cells grow, divide, and stay alive are called oncogenes.
- Genes that keep cell growth in check, repair mistakes in DNA, or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes.
Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations that keep oncogenes turned on, or that turn off tumor suppressor genes. These types of gene changes can lead to cells growing out of control. Changes in several different genes are usually needed for a cell to become a cancer cell.
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What Is Melanoma Skin Cancer
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops when melanocytes start to grow out of control.
Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can then spread to other areas of the body. To learn more about cancer and how it starts and spreads, see What Is Cancer?
Melanoma is much less common than some other types of skin cancers. But melanoma is more dangerous because its much more likely to spread to other parts of the body if not caught and treated early.
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Checking In With Megan Wagner: Celebrating Being Cancer
In 2018, when Megan Wagner was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare form of osteosarcoma. She beat the cancer, but her heart took a major hit and she underwent open heart surgery. Fast forward to today and Megan is now 11 years old and is nearly 17 months cancer-free, although she will still need a heart transplant. Megan and her family are so thankful for all of her care at the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital they started a foundation called Reading 4 Research, which raises money for pediatric cancer research.
Q: What Are Lymph Nodes Or Glands
A:In the neck, there are two areas that we call glands:
- The salivary glandsprovide saliva to the mouth to keep it moist. Theyre under the jaw and on theside of our face.
- The lymph glands,also known as lymph nodes, are mostly on the side of the neck.
The lymph glands are the bodys sophisticated sewersystem. They get rid of things that our body doesnt want, such as bacteria,viruses and other things that enter our system.
There are about 600pea- to bean-sized lymph nodes throughout your body, from your legs to yourjaw.
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What Are The Treatments For Metastatic Melanoma
Historically, metastatic and recurrent melanoma have been poorly responsive to chemotherapy. Immunotherapy, in which the body’s own immune system is energized to fight the tumor, has been a focus of research for decades. A variety of newer medications target different points in the pathways of melanoma cell growth and spread. While the most appropriate use of these medications is still being defined, the best treatment for melanoma remains complete surgical excision while it is still small, thin, and has not yet had a chance to spread.
Basal Cell And Squamous Cell Skin Cancers
Basal cell and squamous cell cancers are by far the most common skin cancers, and actually are more common than any other form of cancer. Because they rarely spread to other parts of the body, basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are usually less concerning and are treated differently from melanoma. These cancers are discussed in Basal and Squamous Cell Skin Cancer.
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Melanoma Can Be Tricky
Identifying a potential skin cancer is not easy, and not all melanomas follow the rules. Melanomas come in many forms and may display none of the typical warning signs.
Its also important to note that about 20 to 30 percent of melanomas develop in existing moles, while 70 to 80 percent arise on seemingly normal skin.
Amelanotic melanomas are missing the dark pigment melanin that gives most moles their color. Amelanotic melanomas may be pinkish, reddish, white, the color of your skin or even clear and colorless, making them difficult to recognize.
Acral lentiginous melanoma, the most common form of melanoma found in people of color, often appears in hard-to-spot places, including under the fingernails or toenails, on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.
The takeaway: Be watchful for any new mole or freckle that arises on your skin, a sore or spot that does not heal, any existing mole that starts changing or any spot, mole or lesion that looks unusual.
Acral lentiginous melanoma is the most common melanoma found in people of color.
What Is Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer. Its usually found on areas of the body damaged by UV rays from the sun or tanning beds. Sun-exposed skin includes the head, neck, chest, upper back, ears, lips, arms, legs, and hands.
SCC is a fairly slow-growing skin cancer. Unlike other types of skin cancer, it can spread to the tissues, bones, and nearby lymph nodes, where it may become hard to treat. When caught early, its easy to treat.
SCC can show up as:
- A dome-shaped bump that looks like a wart
- A red, scaly patch of skin thats rough and crusty and bleeds easily
- An open sore that doesnt heal completely
- A growth with raised edges and a lower area in the middle that might bleed or itch
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Possible Signs And Symptoms Of Melanoma
The most important warning sign of melanoma is a new spot on the skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color.
Another important sign is a spot that looks different from all of the other spots on your skin .
If you have one of these warning signs, have your skin checked by a doctor.
The ABCDE rule is another guide to the usual signs of melanoma. Be on the lookout and tell your doctor about spots that have any of the following features:
- A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
- B is for Border:The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
- C is for Color:The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
- D is for Diameter:The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across , although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
- E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.
Some melanomas dont fit these rules. Its important to tell your doctor about any changes or new spots on the skin, or growths that look different from the rest of your moles.
Other warning signs are:
- A sore that doesnt heal
- Spread of pigment from the border of a spot into surrounding skin
- Redness or a new swelling beyond the border of the mole
- Change in sensation, such as itchiness, tenderness, or pain
- Change in the surface of a mole scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a lump or bump
Are There Different Kinds Of Skin Cancer
There are many types of skin cancer. Your doctor can tell you more about the type of skin cancer you have.
Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are much more common than melanoma and dont often spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma is more deadly because it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body.
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Melanoma Symptoms And Signs
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that forms in pigment-forming cells . Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Rarely, melanomas can be found in other areas of the body that contain pigment-forming cells, including the eye, the tissues around the brain and spinal cord, or the digestive tract. Melanomas of the skin produce changes in the appearance of the skin, but these changes can sometimes be seen with other skin conditions. The characteristic symptoms include a change in an existing mole or new mole with asymmetric borders, uneven coloring, increasing size, scaling, or itching. Melanomas are typically not painful. It is always important to seek medical advice when you develop a new pigmented spot on the skin or have a mole that is growing or changing.
Who Is At Risk For Intraocular Melanoma
A risk factor is anything that may increase your chance of having a disease. The exact cause of someones cancer may not be known. But certain risk factors can make it more likely for a person to develop cancer. Some risk factors may not be in your control. But others may be things you can change.
Anyone can develop intraocular melanoma. But certain factors may make you more likely to get it. They include:
- Having fair skin and light-colored eyes
- Being older
- Exposure to UV light sources from the sun or tanning beds
- Certain inherited skin problems, such as dysplastic nevus syndrome
Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors for intraocular melanoma and what you can do about them.
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Are These Patients Cured
Saying cured is always difficult in cancer, but five-year-survival is a hugely significant milestone.
Some patients taking the drugs are in total remission with no sign of any abnormality on scans.
Others like Pam still have a tumour inside their bodies, but they are no longer growing.
Out of the patients that survived, three-quarters no longer need any form of cancer treatment.
What Are The Causes And Risk Factors For Melanoma
Guideline # 5: Individual sunburns do raise one’s risk of melanoma. However, slow daily sun exposure, even without burning, may also substantially raise someone’s risk of skin cancer.
Factors that raise one’s risk for melanoma include the following:
- Caucasian ancestry
- Fair skin, light hair, and light-colored eyes
- A history of intense, intermittent sun exposure, especially in childhood
- Many moles
- Large, irregular, or “funny looking” moles
- Close blood relatives — parents, siblings, and children — with melanoma
The presence of close family with melanoma is a high risk factor, although looking at all cases of melanoma, only 10% of cases run in families.
Having a history of other sun-induced skin cancers raises one’s risk of melanoma because they are markers of long-term sun exposure. The basic cell type is different, however, and a basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma cannot “turn into melanoma” or vice versa.
It is no longer recommended to do large batteries of screening tests on patients with thin, uncomplicated melanoma excisions, but patients who have had thicker tumors diagnosed or who already have signs and symptoms of metastatic melanoma may need to have MRIs, PET scans, CT scans, chest X-rays, or other X-rays of bones when there is a concern of metastasis.
The biopsy report may show any of the following:
In general, early localized melanoma is treated by surgery alone.
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Symptoms If Cancer Has Spread To The Brain
You might have any of the following symptoms if your cancer has spread to your brain:
- headaches
- weakness of a part of the body
- fits
- personality changes or mood changes
- eyesight changes
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Benign Tumors That Start In Melanocytes
A mole is a benign skin tumor that develops from melanocytes. Almost everyone has some moles. Nearly all moles are harmless, but having some types can raise your risk of melanoma. See Risk Factors for Melanoma Skin Cancer for more information about moles.
A Spitz nevus is a kind of mole that sometimes looks like melanoma. Its more common in children and teens, but it can also be seen in adults. These tumors are typically benign and dont spread. But sometimes doctors have trouble telling Spitz nevi from true melanomas, even when looking at them under a microscope. Therefore, they are often removed, just to be safe.
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How Is Intraocular Melanoma Treated
Your treatment choices depend on test results, where the tumor is, and the stage of the cancer. Your ability to see in the unaffected eye, your age, overall health, and personal choice will also be considered. The goals of treatment include saving the eye and keeping your ability to see, as well as keeping the cancer from spreading. Talk with your healthcare team about your treatment choices, the goals of treatment, and what the risks and side effects may be.
Treating this cancer can cause eye damage. For this reason, your healthcare provider may advise not to start treatment right away if you dont have symptoms and the tumor isnt growing. This is called watchful waiting. Your provider will see you regularly and take pictures of the tumor to track its growth. If the tumor starts to grow, you can start treatment.
Types of treatment for cancer are either local or systemic:
- Local treatments. These remove, destroy, or control cancer cells in one area. Surgery and radiation are local treatments.
- Systemic treatment. This destroys or controls cancer cells that may have traveled around your body. When taken by pill or injection, chemotherapy is a systemic treatment.
Based on your situation, you may have several options for treating this disease. They include:
You may need other treatments if the cancer spreads to other parts of your body.
Q: Why Do Lymph Nodes Sometimes Swell Up
A: When a lymph node notices something harmful in the body, it uses its resources to try to destroy it. Inside the lymph nodes are blood cells that fight infection and disease. When the lymph nodes start using them, the gland gets bigger.
Colds, sore throats and ear infections all lead to swollen lymph nodes. We treat the infection, it goes away, and the lymph node shrinks.
Location matters: The glands under your jawline are rarelya problem. They may swell because one of the ducts of saliva entering the mouthgets narrowed or blocked. The chance of cancer developing on those glands issmall. Were more concerned about the lymph nodes on the side of the neck.
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Major Breakthroughs Spell Hope For Melanoma Patients
Researchers have discovered what could be the first ever widely used therapies to prevent melanoma patients relapsing
Two sets of international trial results presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine show significant progress in both immunotherapy and targeted therapy research for melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.
The Royal Marsden worked with researchers across Europe, America and Australia on both trials.
The first shows that nivolumab improves relapse-free survival in comparison with ipilimumab in high risk melanoma patients. At present these immune checkpoint inhibitors are approved for treating advanced melanoma, but neither are approved in the UK for use as adjuvant therapies. Only ipilimumab is approved as an adjuvant therapy in the USA, however it isnt widely adopted due to its toxicity.
The international, double-blind randomized Phase III trial Checkmate 238, funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is also the first study to show positive results of adjuvant anti-PD-1 immunotherapy drugs in solid tumours. They work by blocking a signal that enables cancer to evade the bodys natural immune system, therefore allowing the bodys own defenses to attack cancer cells.
The trial showed that the 12-month recurrence-free survival rates for nivolumab were 70.5% compared with 60.8% for ipilimumab in resected patients with stage IIIb, IIIc, or IV melanoma.
What Do Patients Say
Pam Smith, 67, from Royal Tunbridge Wells, started on the trial in January 2014.
She was “devastated” when she was told her cancer was untreatable and says she “wouldn’t have stood a chance” without immunotherapy.
She had treatment once every two weeks for four months, but the drugs gave her such severe diarrhoea as a side-effect that she could no longer continue.
Her tumour halved in size after treatment and has not grown since. Pam now feels “brilliant”.
She told the BBC: “I might not have seen my grandchildren.
“It’s just over five years now since it happened and my youngest grandchild was six at the weekend.
“I wouldn’t have seem him grow up and the other grandchildren as well.”
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