How Many People Have Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer Undiagnosed For Over 10 Years

The patient had neglected his illness for more than 10 years, says a case report in the International Open Access Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons .

The patient was a man, 48, living in a U.S. city. The medical attention was sought out due to the insistence of a family member, continues the paper.

The cancer was basal cell carcinoma that had grown to 10 centimeters on his scalp. Somehow this patient didnt mind living with an ulcerating, oozing and bleeding growth on his head.

Had he not sought treatment, he could have lived many more years barring death from an unrelated cause such as a heart attack or car accident.

With that all said, there is no data on what the record is for how long a person lived with an undiagnosed skin cancer.

Certainly you can imagine there must be many cases of people all over the world, living in undeveloped societies with scant medical care, let alone skin cancer awareness, whove been living for over 20 years with a slowly growing bump or patch.

This would describe basal cell carcinoma.

But a person will not get away for too long with an undiagnosed melanoma, as it WILL spread and cause symptoms of that spread, such as respiratory problems or ongoing severe headaches .

Dr. Musick says that the following are common ways that skin cancer shows up:

red bump that bleeds easily a scab or wound that just wont heal slowly enlarging pink or red patch of skin a dark irregularly-bordered bump or spot

Steven Musick, MD

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Who Is At Risk

Anyone can develop skin cancer, but its more common in older people. The risk is also higher in people who have:

• fair or freckled skin, especially if it burns easily and doesnt tan
• red or fair hair and light-coloured eyes
• had short, intense periods of exposure to UV radiation, e.g. on weekends or holidays or when playing sport, especially if it caused sunburn
• actively tanned or used solariums
• worked outdoors
• a weakened immune system, which could be caused by taking certain medicines after an organ transplant or by ongoing blood conditions such as chronic leukaemia
• lots of moles on their body or moles with an irregular shape and uneven colour
• a previous skin cancer or a family history of skin cancer
• certain skin conditions such as sunspots.

People with olive or very dark skin have more protection against UV radiation because their skin produces more melanin than fair skin does. However, they can still develop skin cancer.

Screening For Skin Cancer

Again, the best way to screen for skin cancer is knowing your own skin. If you are familiar with the freckles, moles, and other blemishes on your body, you are more likely to notice quickly if something seems unusual.

To help spot potentially dangerous abnormalities, doctors recommend doing regular self-exams of your skin at home. Ideally, these self-exams should happen once a month, and should involve an examination of all parts of your body. Use a hand-held mirror and ask friends or family for help so as to check your back, scalp, and other hard-to-see areas of skin. If you or someone else notices a change on your skin, set up a doctors appointment to get a professional opinion.

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Treatment And Clinical Trials:

• The 5-year relative survival rate from diagnosis for localized, early melanoma is over 98%, but only about 25% for melanoma that has spread to distant sites.
• Since 2007, 12 new FDA-approved melanoma therapies have been developed for treatment of the disease.
• 100% of treatments and medications currently available for melanoma were first rigorously tested in clinical trials.
• 1 in 4 clinical trials fail because they dont enroll enough patients lack of enrollment in clinical trials is one of the biggest obstacles to bringing new, potentially life-saving therapies to market.
• Of all clinical trial participants in the U.S., 80-90% are white.
• Almost half of all people who participate in a clinical trial do so to help advance science and the treatment of their condition.
• Today there are more than 400 melanoma-focused clinical trials currently recruiting patients.
• Only 15% of patients in North America have been asked to participate in a clinical research study.
• Over half of clinical trial participants would recommend participation to family and friends.
• Today, only 1 out of 20 cancer patients enroll in a clinical trial.

• About Melanoma

What Are The Symptoms Of Skin Cancer

Symptoms of skin cancer can be easily confused and are often overlooked if you have a history of noncancerous moles, freckles, or growths.

However, any change on your skin could be a potential cancer. Knowing the additional symptoms of skin cancer will help you know whether youre in the clear or need to book an appointment with your doctor.

Read Also: How Can Skin Cancer Kill You

What Changes In The Skin Occur Due To Exposure To The Sun

Exposure to sun causes most of the wrinkles and age spots on our faces. People think a glowing complexion means good health, but skin color obtained from being in the sun can actually speed up the effects of aging and increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Sun exposure causes most of the skin changes that we think of as a normal part of aging. Over time, the sun’s ultraviolet light damages the fibers in the skin called elastin. When these fibers break down, the skin begins to sag, stretch, and lose its ability to go back into place after stretching. The skin also bruises and tears more easily in addition to taking longer to heal. So while sun damage to the skin may not be apparent when you’re young, it will definitely show later in life. The sun can also cause issues for your eyes, eyelids, and the skin around the eyes.

Changes in the skin related to sun exposure:

• Precancerous and cancerous skin lesions caused by loss of the skin’s immune function.
• Benign tumors.
• Fine and coarse wrinkles.
• Freckles discolored areas of the skin, called mottled pigmentation and sallowness, yellow discoloration of the skin.
• Telangiectasias, the dilation of small blood vessels under the skin.
• Elastosis, the destruction of the elastic tissue causing lines and wrinkles.

How The Government Of Canada Protects You

The Public Health Agency of Canada monitors cancer in Canada. PHAC identifies trends and risk factors for cancer, develops programs to reduce cancer risks, and researches to evaluate risks from the environment and human behaviours. Health Canada also promotes public awareness about sun safety and the harmful effects of UV rays.

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Skin Cancer Incidence And Mortality

This document focuses on the three most common types of skin cancers: basal cell carcinoma , squamous cell carcinoma , and melanoma, which together account for more than 99% of skin cancers ., These three types of cancer are described in greater detail in . BCC and SCC are the most common types of nonmelanoma skin cancers .

Types of Skin Cancer.

How Is Skin Cancer Diagnosed

Skin cancer is suspected by its appearance on the skin. The diagnosis must be confirmed with a biopsy. This involves taking a sample of the tissue, which is then placed under a microscope and examined by a dermatopathologist, a doctor who specializes in examining skin cells. Sometimes a biopsy can remove all of the cancer tissue and no further treatment is needed.

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Treatment For Skin Cancer

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have multiple options for treatment. Based on the specifics of your case, your doctor will recommend your best course of action. The suggested methods for fighting the cancer may include:

• Cryotherapy. In cryotherapy, a doctor freezes and kills precancerous or cancerous skin cells using liquid nitrogen. This technique is most often used to treat minor basal or squamous carcinomas or precancerous skin conditions.

• Surgery. Different types of skin cancer may be removed by surgery. Surgery can be excisional – simply cutting out a cancerous area and the skin surrounding it – or may involve meticulous removal of layers of skin.

• Radiation therapy. In radiation therapy, energy beams are used to kill cancerous cells. Radiation therapy may help finish off a cancer that was not fully removed by surgery, and can also be instrumental in cases that dont allow for surgery.

• Chemotherapy. This type of therapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. To treat some cases of skin cancer, chemotherapy may be applied locally through topical creams or lotions. It may also be administered by IV to target multiple body parts at once.

• Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, involves boosting the immune system to fight cancer cells. With the help of strengthening medicines, the immune system may be better prepared to kill cancerous cells.

Stages Of Skin Cancer

If you receive a skin cancer diagnosis, the next step is to identify its stage.

Staging is how doctors determine whether the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. Staging is common with melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma, because these cancers are more likely to spread.

Typically, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas dont involve staging. These skin cancers are easily treated and dont usually spread. However, your doctor may recommend staging for larger lesions.

Staging is based on the size of the growth and whether it has high-risk features. High-risk features include:

• larger than 2 millimeters thick
• spreads into the lower levels of the skin
• spreads into the space around a nerve
• appears on the lips or ears
• appears abnormal under a microscope

Heres a general breakdown of skin cancer stages:

• Stage 0. The cancer hasnt spread to surrounding areas of the skin.
• Stage 1. The cancer is 2 centimeters across or less, with no high-risk features.
• Stage 2. The cancer is more than 2 cm across and has a least two high-risk features.
• Stage 3. The cancer has spread to the bones in the face or nearby lymph nodes.
• Stage 4. The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or internal organs.

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Myth : I Can Protect Myself By Getting A Base Tan At A Salon

Tanning salons advertise that getting a âcontrolledâ tan in a tanning bed at the beginning of the summer protects you by making it harder for you to burn when you go outside.

âThatâs something that we see people being told all the time at skin-tanning parlors â that itâs healthy to get a âbase tan,ââ said Dr. John Thompson, who co-directs the Melanoma Clinic at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Fred Hutchâs clinical care partner. âThatâs just complete baloney.â

The bottom line: âTanning parlors actually give people UV radiation, which is harmful for their skin,â Thompson said. Ultraviolet light, no matter if youâre exposed indoors or out in the sun, damages your DNA in a way that can lead to the development of cancer. You donât have to burn to damage your skin. A tan, no matter how it is acquired, is a sign of damage.

After UV damage, your skin protects itself by producing melanin â the pigment responsible for brown and black skin tones. However, most people donât realize that the amount of protection conferred by melanin is tiny, said SCCA skin cancer physician Dr. Lee Cranmer.

âEven the darkest coloration of the skin with melanin only has an SPF equivalent to about 5,â Cranmer said. So, in comparison, the small amount of melanin that a fair-complexioned person would get as a result of a so-called base tan âisnât really going to provide significant protection,â he said.

Melanoma Skin Cancer Mortality

• There are around 2,300 melanoma skin cancer deaths in the UK every year, that’s more than 6 every day .
• Melanoma skin cancer is the 19th most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 1% of all cancer deaths .
• In females in the UK, melanoma skin cancer is the 18th most common cause of cancer death, with around 940 deaths in 2018.
• In males in the UK, melanoma skin cancer is the 17th most common cause of cancer death, with around 1,400 deaths in 2018.
• Mortality rates for melanoma skin cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 90+ .
• Each year almost half of all melanoma skin cancer deaths in the UK are in people aged 75 and over .
• Since the early 1970s, melanoma skin cancer mortality rates have increased by around two-and-a-half times in the UK. Rates in females have increased by around three-quarters , and rates in males have more than tripled .
• Over the last decade, melanoma skin cancer mortality rates have remained stable in the UK. Rates in females have remained stable, and rates in males have increased by almost a tenth .
• Mortality rates for melanoma skin are projected to fall by 15% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, to 4 deaths per 100,000 people by 2035.
• Melanoma skin cancer deaths are less common in males living in the most deprived areas.

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Is Ethnicity A Factor

The American Cancer Society estimates Caucasians are 20 times more likely to develop skin cancer than people of African descent. In fact, they note lifetime risk of getting melanoma is significantly higher for non-Hispanic Caucasians:

• 2.6 percent for Caucasians
• 0.58 percent for Hispanics
• 0.10 percent for African-Americans

In their lifetime, 1 in 27 white men and 1 in 42 white women will develop melanoma, says the Skin Cancer Foundation.

While skin cancer is more common in white people, this population also has the best rate of survival. People of Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, and African descent follow.

The five-year survival rate of melanoma for white people with skin cancer is 94 percent, compared to only 69 percent survival in black people, notes the American Cancer Society.

A 2006 investigation found this is due, in part, to people of African descent being to receive a diagnosis of melanoma after the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage or spread to other parts of the body.

Other reasons for the discrepancy include that nearly say they werent trained on diagnosing cancer on black skin.

Generally, skin cancers in people of color may be

Until theyre 49, women have a higher risk for developing melanoma than men. In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation reports that up until age 49, women have a higher probability of developing melanoma than every other cancer except breast cancer.

What Causes Skin Cancer

The main cause of all types of skin cancer is overexposure to UV radiation. Over 95% of skin cancers are caused by UV exposure. When unprotected skin is exposed to UV radiation, the structure and behaviour of the cells can change.

UV radiation is produced by the sun, but it can also come from artificial sources, such as the lights used in solariums . Solariums are now banned in Australia for commercial use because research shows that people who use solariums have a high risk of developing skin cancer.

Most parts of Australia have high levels of UV radiation all year round. UV radiation cannot be seen or felt and it is not related to temperature. It can cause:

• sunburn

Find out how to protect yourself from the sun and prevent skin cancer from occurring.

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Melanoma Of The Skin Statistics

The Melanoma Dashboard provides state and local data to help communities address their unique melanoma prevention needs.

Skin cancer is the most commonexternal icon form of cancer in the United States. Central cancer registries collect data on melanoma of the skin and nonepithelial skin cancers such a Merkel cell carcinoma. Data on basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the most common types of skin cancer, are not normally collected by central cancer registries.

An examination of Medical Expenditure Panel Survey dataexternal icon suggests that each year, about 4.3 million adults are treated for basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas at a cost of about $4.8 billion.

Myth : Skin Cancer Is Not That Big Of A Deal

It is true that the most common types of skin cancers are not as deadly as many other malignancies. According to the American Cancer Society, 8.7 million people are diagnosed with the two most common types of skin cancer each year â basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma â and very few will die from these cancers. The U.S. records about 2,000 deaths from these two cancer types every year, according to the society. In comparison, the biggest cancer killer in the U.S. â lung cancer â takes the lives of more than 150,000 Americans a year.

However, Cranmer pointed out, while the most common skin cancers aren’t as deadly as other malignancies, they can affect quality of life. Skin cancers âcan have significant impact even if they donât kill someone in terms of the destruction they cause,â he said. The costs are also significant.

And some types of skin cancers are more lethal, including melanoma, which more than one out of every 50 Americans will develop at some point in their lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute.

In short, Cranmer emphasized, the best practice is just to take steps to prevent skin cancers and not run the risk.

Early detection and treatment also save lives from skin cancer, he added. Watch out for hallmark warning signs, including changes in a moleâs size or color, bleeding or itching.

âWhen someone around you tells you, âYou should have that checked out,â theyâre probably right,â Cranmer said.

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