A Primer On Skin Cancer
Malignant melanoma, especially in the later stages, is serious and treatment is difficult. Early diagnosis and treatment can increase the survival rate. Nonmelanoma skin cancers include basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Both are common and are almost always cured when found early and treated. People who’ve had skin cancer once are at risk for getting it again they should get a checkup at least once a year.
Who Gets Skin Cancer And Why
Sun exposure is the biggest cause of skin cancer. But it doesn’t explain skin cancers that develop on skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. Exposure to environmental hazards, radiation treatment, and even heredity may play a role. Although anyone can get skin cancer, the risk is greatest for people who have:
- Fair skin or light-colored eyes
- An abundance of large and irregularly-shaped moles
- A family history of skin cancer
- A history of excessive sun exposure or blistering sunburns
- Lived at high altitudes or with year-round sunshine
- Received radiation treatments
How Is Melanoma Treated
Melanoma treatment can include:
- surgery to remove the cancerous lesion
- chemotherapy: tumor-killing medicines are given by mouth, through an injection , or intravenously
- targeted therapy: specific medicines that find and attack cancer cells without hurting normal cells
- immunotherapy : when doctors stimulate the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells
The treatment chosen depends on:
- how big and how deep the lesion is
- what part of the body it is on
- whether the cancer has spread
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What Does Scalp Melanoma Look Like
Melanoma is one of the most serious forms of cancer, and because its appearance can closely mimic natural moles, freckles, and age spots, it can be easy to overlook. Its important to know what to look for and perform regular skin cancer screenings to ensure you receive treatment for this condition in the earliest stages. According to Dr. Gregory Walker of U.S. Dermatology Partners in Waco, Texas, Melanoma can be easily overlooked in obvious places on the body, but many people dont know that the scalp, fingernails and toenails, and other harder to see areas often hide this condition until it has progressed to more advanced stages. Patients who know what to look for and regularly screen their skin for cancers, are much more likely to receive a diagnosis in early, more treatable stages. Keep reading to hear more from Dr. Walker about what scalp melanoma looks like and how to check for this condition and prevent serious health concerns.
How Common Is It
Overall, skin cancers are the most common cancers in the United States. But melanoma is less common than the other two major types, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.
Each year about 91,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with melanoma of the skin, according to the American Cancer Society. By comparison, about 3.3 million are diagnosed with one or more basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas.
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The Abcdes Of Melanoma
The first five letters of the alphabet are a guide to help you recognize the warning signs of melanoma.
A is for Asymmetry. Most melanomas are asymmetrical. If you draw a line through the middle of the lesion, the two halves dont match, so it looks different from a round to oval and symmetrical common mole.
B is for Border. Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges, while common moles tend to have smoother, more even borders.
C is for Color. Multiple colors are a warning sign. While benign moles are usually a single shade of brown, a melanoma may have different shades of brown, tan or black. As it grows, the colors red, white or blue may also appear.
D is for Diameter or Dark. While its ideal to detect a melanoma when it is small, its a warning sign if a lesion is the size of a pencil eraser or larger. Some experts say it is also important to look for any lesion, no matter what size, that is darker than others. Rare, amelanotic melanomas are colorless.
E is for Evolving. Any change in size, shape, color or elevation of a spot on your skin, or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.
If you notice these warning signs, or anything NEW, CHANGING or UNUSUAL on your skin see a dermatologist promptly.
A is for Asymmetry
D is for Diameter or Dark
E is for Evolving
E is for Evolving
Tips For Screening Moles For Cancer
Examine your skin on a regular basis. A common location for melanoma in men is on the back, and in women, the lower leg. But check your entire body for moles or suspicious spots once a month. Start at your head and work your way down. Check the “hidden” areas: between fingers and toes, the groin, soles of the feet, the backs of the knees. Check your scalp and neck for moles. Use a handheld mirror or ask a family member to help you look at these areas. Be especially suspicious of a new mole. Take a photo of moles and date it to help you monitor them for change. Pay special attention to moles if you’re a teen, pregnant, or going through menopause, times when your hormones may be surging.
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What Is Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is the abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the skin. Skin cancer usually arises on skin exposed to the sun, such as the face, lips, ears, scalp, neck, chest, arms and hands and on the legs especially in women. Though more common in lighter skin tones, skin cancer affects people of all skin tones.
There are three major types of skin cancer:
Each type of skin cancer has a different pathology and presentation.
Signs And Symptoms Of Melanoma
The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole.
This can happen anywhere on the body, but the most commonly affected areas are the back in men and the legs in women.
Melanomas are uncommon in areas that are protected from sun exposure, such as the buttocks and the scalp.
In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than 1 colour.
The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed.
Look out for a mole that gradually changes shape, size or colour.
Superficial spreading melanoma are the most common type of melanoma in the UK.
They’re more common in people with pale skin and freckles, and much less common in people with darker skin.
They initially tend to grow outwards rather than downwards, so they do not pose a problem.
But if they grow downwards into the deeper layers of skin, they can spread to other parts of the body.
You should see a GP if you have a mole that’s getting bigger, particularly if it has an irregular edge.
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What Does Melanoma Look Like On The Skin Topic Guide
What Does Melanoma Look Like
Melanoma is a type of cancer that begins in melanocytes . Below are photos of melanoma that formed on the skin. Melanoma can also start in the eye, the intestines, or other areas of the body with pigmented tissues.
Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the shape, color, size, or feel of an existing mole. However, melanoma may also appear as a new mole. People should tell their doctor if they notice any changes on the skin. The only way to diagnose melanoma is to remove tissue and check it for cancer cells.
Thinking of “ABCDE” can help you remember what to look for:
- Asymmetry: The shape of one half does not match the other half.
- Border that is irregular: The edges are often ragged, notched, or blurred in outline. The pigment may spread into the surrounding skin.
- Color that is uneven: Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, gray, red, pink, or blue may also be seen.
- Diameter: There is a change in size, usually an increase. Melanomas can be tiny, but most are larger than the size of a pea .
- Evolving: The mole has changed over the past few weeks or months.
Melanomas can vary greatly in how they look. Many show all of the ABCDE features. However, some may show changes or abnormal areas in only one or two of the ABCDE features.
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Where Are They Found
A few of the common locations or growth sites where one can find nodular melanoma are the head, trunk, and neck of the body. Not the same case as the other types of skin cancer, nodular melanoma is known to start or grow as new developments instead of developing or growing within a pre-existing mole. It would take a period of as little as three months time for these types of cancer to start spreading internally in the body. Nodular melanoma is very dangerous since it can quickly jump to the advanced stage of skin cancer. For this reason, it has been termed a deadly form of skin cancer. If the nodular melanoma reaches the advanced stage, it would become difficult to get it treated successfully.
Who Is At Risk
Any individual who has skin that burns easily is very likely to get nodular melanoma, but it is seen as a common occurrence in males rather than in the female population, and also in those individuals who already have another type of pre-existing melanoma. If you are one of those individuals who already have a lot of moles on the body, then there are chances of getting nodular melanoma as well.
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What Does Early Skin Cancer Look Like
It can be challenging to tell if a skin change is unimportant or, in fact, is a sign of developing skin cancer. Skin cancer is not uncommon, as one in five Americans will develop skin cancer before age 70. Learning to spot the warning signs is vital. When identified early, skin cancer is highly curable. Do you know what to look for or when to seek medical advice?
Future Directions For Research
Results from our formative study can guide the development of quantitative measures to assess early detection of nodular and superficial spreading melanoma, which would allow for further quantification of rates of self-identified early features of melanoma. Our results could also guide future research to develop educational materials about the early detection of various types of melanoma, including the NM subtype, which appears to be more amenable to earlier detection by patients than previously claimed. Further validation of our findings may then warrant revision of existing criteria for earlier clinical recognition of the NM subtype.
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Dermoscopy Of Superficial Melanoma
Superficial melanomas usually have one or more of the following dermoscopic features:
- Blue-white veil
- Negative network
- Irregular vascularity
The blue-white veil is described as an irregular structureless area of confluent blue pigment with a ground glass haze, as if the image were out of focus. It is due to hyperkeratinisation over dense epidermal pigment. Uniform blue-white structures may be observed over some blue naevi and haemangiomas but in melanoma they are focal, asymmetrical and irregular.
Scar-like depigmentation due to regression of melanoma results in irregular white areas that must be distinguished from the uniform peripheral loss of pigment seen in benign halo naevi. It arises in about 50% of melanomas.
Negative network, although a feature of melanoma, may also be found in some benign melanocytic lesions and seborrhoeickeratoses.
Some of the structural features may be subtle in early melanoma, as in several examples shown here. Melanoma may be recognised when there are only 2-3 colours in the lesion on dermoscopy . Deeper melanomas reveal more colours.
Dermoscopic features of melanoma
Not all facial melanoma have these characteristics. In the absence of network, there may be amelanotic areas and irregular blotches.
Facial SSM
What Are The Symptoms Of Skin Cancer
Talk to your doctor if you notice changes in your skin such as a new growth, a sore that doesnt heal, a change in an old growth, or any of the A-B-C-D-Es of melanoma.
A change in your skin is the most common sign of skin cancer. This could be a new growth, a sore that doesnt heal, or a change in a mole.external icon Not all skin cancers look the same.
For melanoma specifically, a simple way to remember the warning signs is to remember the A-B-C-D-Es of melanoma
- A stands for asymmetrical. Does the mole or spot have an irregular shape with two parts that look very different?
- B stands for border. Is the border irregular or jagged?
- C is for color. Is the color uneven?
- D is for diameter. Is the mole or spot larger than the size of a pea?
- E is for evolving. Has the mole or spot changed during the past few weeks or months?
Talk to your doctor if you notice changes in your skin such as a new growth, a sore that doesnt heal, a change in an old growth, or any of the A-B-C-D-Es of melanoma.
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What Is Melanoma Skin Cancer
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer, arising from cells within the skin called melanocytes.
These melanocytes are normally responsible for producing melanin, a dark coloured pigment which is responsible for giving our skin its colour and the formation of moles on the skin.
As with other forms of skin cancer, melanomas are linked to exposure to UV light. It is thought that your genetics may also have a role in whether you develop melanoma and there does appear to be a higher risk of skin cancers if other family members have also had skin cancer.
Some studies also suggest that those with many moles or pale skin that burns easily in the sun are also at an increased risk of melanoma.
In its initial stages, a melanoma begins by a concentrated overgrowth of melanocytes which start to accumulate. After this process has started, the melanocytes begin to spread to other layers of skin, and if undetected or ignored, can spread to other parts of the body . After being diagnosed, the melanoma will be staged depending on the extent of its growth.
Minimising your exposure to UV light is one simple way to reduce your risk of skin cancer. This can be by reducing your amount of time out in the sun as well as using a high SPF sunscreen.
What Does Scalp Melanoma Look & Feel Like
When it comes to looking for scalp melanoma, Dr. Walker says, Because of hair growth and general difficulty clearly seeing the top of the head, it can be a challenge to see melanoma forming on the scalp. In addition to your own examinations, you may also want to chat with your hair professional. If one person regularly cuts your hair, they may be in a unique position to screen for common warning signs of scalp melanoma, so chat with your barber or stylist at your next appointment.
The first step to finding scalp melanoma is simple you need to know what youre looking and feeling for. Melanoma on any area of the skin usually looks like common skin conditions, which is one of the main reasons why its overlooked on other parts of the body. Melanomas may be mistaken for warts, moles, freckles, age spots, ulcers, or sores, and in some cases, they grow out of pre-existing skin growths. Melanoma lesions may bleed regularly, feel painful, or tingle.
To differentiate between benign skin lesions and potential scalp melanoma, keep the ABCDEs of skin cancer in mind:
- A Asymmetry Are the sides of the mole the same, or are they noticeably different?
- B Border Do the edges of the spot look jagged or otherwise atypical?
- C Color Is the color different from other spots on your body, or does the color vary throughout the lesion?
- D Diameter Is the mole larger than 6 mm ?
- E Evolution Is the mole changing in any way ?
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Less Common Skin Cancers
Uncommon types of skin cancer include Kaposi’s sarcoma, mainly seen in people with weakened immune systems sebaceous gland carcinoma, an aggressive cancer originating in the oil glands in the skin and Merkel cell carcinoma, which is usually found on sun-exposed areas on the head, neck, arms, and legs but often spreads to other parts of the body.
Prognosis For Melanoma On The Nail
Like other forms of melanoma, subungual melanoma can metastasize to other parts of the body if left untreated.3,4 Because it can be difficult to see and is often mistaken for a bruise or other nail problem, this condition often goes undetected. However, checking your nails and showing any changes to your healthcare provider can help reduce your chances of an undetected subungual melanoma.
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What Will It Look Like
There are a number of signs that we are warned to look out for when checking our moles. The ABDCE method include the following:
- Asymmetry: Any mole where one side is not the same as the other. In other words it is not round.
- Borders: Any edge that is irregular is worth getting checked. If they are blurred, notched or ragged it could be a bad sign.
- Colour: Moles should be even in colour and just one colour across the entire mole. If you have a mix of colours or any areas that are grey, pink or blue, it makes sense to have them checked.
- Diameter: Normal moles are rarely any more than 5mm in size anything larger should be checked. However, some may be very small.
- Evolving: Any mole that has changed in size, colour or if it has started to itch over the last few weeks should be checked.
Dont forget that you dont need all of these signs just one will do.