What Is Skin Cancer Called

Skin Cancer Support Groups And Counseling

Living with skin cancer presents many new challenges for you and for your family and friends. You will probably have many worries about how the cancer will affect you and your ability to “live a normal life,” that is, to care for your family and home, to hold your job, and to continue the friendships and activities you enjoy.

Many people with a skin cancer diagnosis feel anxious and depressed. Some people feel angry and resentful others feel helpless and defeated. For most people with skin cancer, talking about their feelings and concerns helps. Your friends and family members can be very supportive. They may be hesitant to offer support until they see how you are coping. Don’t wait for them to bring it up. If you want to talk about your concerns, let them know.

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Some people don’t want to “burden” their loved ones, or prefer talking about their concerns with a more neutral professional. A social worker, counselor, or member of the clergy can be helpful. Your dermatologist or oncologist should be able to recommend someone.

Many people with cancer are profoundly helped by talking to other people who have cancer. Sharing your concerns with others who have been through the same thing can be remarkably reassuring. Support groups for people with cancer may be available through the medical center where you are receiving your treatment. The American Cancer Society also has information about support groups throughout the U.S.

Basic Information About Skin Cancer

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the skin, it is called skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Some people are at higher risk of skin cancer than others, but anyone can get it. The most preventable cause of skin cancer is overexposure to ultraviolet light, either from the sun or from artificial sources like tanning beds.

Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet rays. To lower your risk of getting skin cancer, you can protect your skin from UV rays from the sun and from artificial sources like tanning beds and sunlamps.While enjoying the benefits of being outdoors, people can decrease skin cancer risk by using sun protection. Protect yourself by staying in the shade, wearing protective clothing, and applying and re-applying a broad spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher.Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.

Who Gets Skin Cancer

Skin cancer most commonly affects older adults, but it can also affect younger adults, and rarely, children.

• Skin cancer tends to affect individuals with fair skin , although people with darker skin can also develop skin cancer.
• People who have had skin cancer have an increased risk of developing other skin cancers.
• A family history of skin cancer also increases risk.
• Certain genes such as melanocortin-1 receptor have been identified as carrying an increased risk of skin cancer.

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What Happens If They Find Something

If your doctor finds a spot that could be cancerous orpre-cancerous, theyll likely want to take a picture for your medical chart andperform a skin biopsy.

During a biopsy, the doctor will remove a small amount of tissueto be examined under a microscope by a pathologist. This is a simple procedurethat can be done right then and there, in the office. Theyll clean the area ofskin where the spot is located, numb it with an injection of anesthesia, anduse a blade or scalpel to take a sample of the skin. You shouldnt feel anypain, aside from the pinch from the injection.

That sample will be sent to the lab for testing, and your doctor willshare the results with you when they are available. This usually happens withina few days but could take up to a week or longer.

If the spot turns out to be cancerous, it may need to becompletely removed or treated with other methods, Dr. Riley says.

Skin Cancer On The Face: Types And Prevention

Casey Gallagher, MD, is board-certified in dermatology. He is a clinical professor at the University of Colorado in Denver, and co-founder and practicing dermatologist at the Boulder Valley Center for Dermatology in Colorado.

• Prevention

Because it is exposed to the sun more than other parts of the body, the skin on your face is especially vulnerable to skin cancer. And skin cancer on the face can be mistaken for other conditionssuch as age spots, pimples, scarring, acne, styes, and cysts.

Skin cancers that tend to occur more often on the face include actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The face is also a common site of melanoma and there are several other lesser-common skin cancers that can affect the face. The risk of getting skin cancers on the face increases with high amounts of sun exposure and other ultraviolet light exposure.

About 75% of non-melanoma skin cancers occur on the head or neck.

Skin cancer occurs when cells in the skin’s layers become damaged in ways that cause them to look and act differently than the normal healthy cells around them and start to grow out of control. UV rays play a major role in damaging cells by causing gene mutations.

You can watch for signs of skin cancer on your face by paying attention to new or odd-looking spots or feeling growths, splotches, or moles.

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How Common Is Skin Cancer

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia. About two in three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70.

Almost 980,000 new cases of BCC and SCC are treated each year. BCC can develop in young people, but it is more common in people over 40. SCC occurs mostly in people over 50.

More than 13,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma in Australia every year. Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world.

Squamous Cell Skin Cancer

SCC is generally faster growing than basal cell cancers. About 20 out of every 100 skin cancers are SCCs. They begin in cells called keratinocytes, which are found in the epidermis.

Most SCCs develop on areas of skin exposed to the sun. These areas include parts of the head, neck, and on the back of your hands and forearms. They can also develop on scars, areas of skin that have been burnt in the past, or that have been ulcerated for a long time.

SCCs don’t often spread. If they do, it’s most often to the deeper layers of the skin. They can spread to nearby lymph nodes and other parts of the body, but this is unusual.

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Where Do Skin Cancers Start

Most skin cancers start in the top layer of skin, called the epidermis. There are 3 main types of cells in this layer:

• Squamous cells: These are flat cells in the upper part of the epidermis, which are constantly shed as new ones form. When these cells grow out of control, they can develop into squamous cell skin cancer .
• Basal cells: These cells are in the lower part of the epidermis, called the basal cell layer. These cells constantly divide to form new cells to replace the squamous cells that wear off the skins surface. As these cells move up in the epidermis, they get flatter, eventually becoming squamous cells. Skin cancers that start in the basal cell layer are called basal cell skin cancers or basal cell carcinomas.
• Melanocytes: These cells make the brown pigment called melanin, which gives the skin its tan or brown color. Melanin acts as the bodys natural sunscreen, protecting the deeper layers of the skin from some of the harmful effects of the sun. Melanoma skin cancer starts in these cells.

The epidermis is separated from the deeper layers of skin by the basement membrane. When a skin cancer becomes more advanced, it generally grows through this barrier and into the deeper layers.

Symptoms Of Skin Cancer

Skin cancers arent all identical, and they may not cause many symptoms. Still, unusual changes to your skin can be a warning sign for the different types of cancer. Being alert for changes to your skin may help you get a diagnosis earlier.

Watch out for symptoms, including:

• skin lesions: A new mole, unusual growth, bump, sore, scaly patch, or dark spot develops and doesnt go away.
• asymmetry: The two halves of the lesion or mole arent even or identical.
• border: The lesions have ragged, uneven edges.
• color: The spot has an unusual color, such as white, pink, black, blue, or red.
• diameter: The spot is larger than one-quarter inch, or about the size of a pencil eraser.
• evolving: You can detect that the mole is changing size, color, or shape.

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External Beam Radiation Therapy

The following three sections refer to treatment using x-rays.

Conventional external beam radiation therapy

Historically conventional external beam radiation therapy was delivered via two-dimensional beams using kilovoltage therapy x-ray units, medical linear accelerators that generate high-energy x-rays, or with machines that were similar to a linear accelerator in appearance, but used a sealed radioactive source like the one shown above. 2DXRT mainly consists of a single beam of radiation delivered to the patient from several directions: often front or back, and both sides.

Conventional refers to the way the treatment is planned or simulated on a specially calibrated diagnostic x-ray machine known as a simulator because it recreates the linear accelerator actions , and to the usually well-established arrangements of the radiation beams to achieve a desired plan. The aim of simulation is to accurately target or localize the volume which is to be treated. This technique is well established and is generally quick and reliable. The worry is that some high-dose treatments may be limited by the radiation toxicity capacity of healthy tissues which lie close to the target tumor volume.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy

What Are Cancer Skin Cancer And Tumours

Cancer is a disease of the cells in the body. There are many different types of cell in the body, and there are many different types of cancer which arise from different types of cell. What all types of cancer have in common is that the cancer cells are abnormal and multiply out of control. See the separate leaflet called Cancer for more details.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Around 100,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Skin cancers are divided into:

• Melanoma . This type of skin cancer develops from melanocytes.
• Non-melanoma. These are about 20 times more common than melanomas. These are divided into:
• Basal cell carcinoma – skin cancer which develops from basal cells.
• Squamous cell carcinoma – skin cancer which develops from keratinocytes.
• Other – other types of skin cancer, which are rare.

A malignant tumour is a growth of tissue made up from cancer cells which continue to multiply. Malignant tumours can invade into nearby tissues and cause damage. Most types of malignant tumour also tend to spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma skin cancer has a high risk of spread. However, it is very rare for a BCC to spread, and uncommon with an SCC.

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How Is Skin Cancer Diagnosed

Skin cancers are generally diagnosed clinically by a dermatologist or family doctor, when learning of an enlarging, crusting, or bleeding lesion. The lesion will be inspected carefully, and ideally, a full skin examination will also be conducted.

• Dermoscopy may be used to confirm the diagnosis, to detect early skin cancers, and to exclude benignlesions.
• A partial skin biopsy may be taken in cases of suspected non-melanoma skin cancer to confirm the diagnosis or determine a subtype which may influence treatment.
• Complete excision is usually undertaken to make a diagnosis if melanoma is suspected, as a partial biopsy can be misleading in melanocytic tumours.
• The diagnosis is confirmed in the laboratory by a histopathologist. It can take a few days for the report to be issued, or longer if special tests are required.
• Genetic testing for melanoma and blood-based melanoma detection may be available in some centres.
• Further investigations may be required if there is a suspicion spread has occurred.

Knowledge Is Your Best Defense

What Is Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer is the out-of-control growth of abnormal cells in the epidermis, the outermost skin layer, caused by unrepaired DNA damage that triggers mutations. These mutations lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. The main types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma , squamous cell carcinoma , melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma .

The two main causes of skin cancer are the suns harmful ultraviolet rays and the use of UV tanning beds. The good news is that if skin cancer is caught early, your dermatologist can treat it with little or no scarring and high odds of eliminating it entirely. Often, the doctor may even detect the growth at a precancerous stage, before it has become a full-blown skin cancer or penetrated below the surface of the skin.

Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70.

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How Does Skin Cancer Spread

Whether and how skin cancers spread depends on the type of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell cancers rarely spread. Melanomas are the most likely type of skin cancer to spread and metastasise. Melanoma can spread to any part of the body, but the most common areas it spreads to are the lungs, liver, bones, brain, abdomen and lymph nodes.

What Training Does A Dermatologist Have

No one has completed more training than dermatologists to address concerns with your skin, hair, and nails. Before they can begin practicing, dermatologists receive more than a decade of training, including:

• Four years of college to earn a bachelors degree

• Four years of medical school to become a medical doctor

• A year-long internship

• Three years of residency, working alongside experienced doctors and completing 12,000 to 16,000 hours of treating patients.

Some dermatologists will then pursue additional advanced training in particular areas, known as fellowship training.

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Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Rare Skin Cancer On The Rise

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer that affects about 2,000 people in the United States each year.

Though its an uncommon skin cancer, cases of Merkel cell carcinoma have increased rapidly in the last couple of decades.

This type of cancer starts when cells in the skin, called Merkel cells, start to grow out of control.

Merkel cell carcinomas typically grow quickly and can be difficult to treat if they spread.

They can start anywhere on the body, but Merkel cell carcinomas commonly affect areas exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck, and arms.

They may look like pink, red, or purple lumps that are firm when you touch them. Sometimes, they can open up as ulcers or sores.

Risk factors include:

Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Common In Sun

Squamous cell carcinoma, also called squamous cell cancer, is the second most common type of skin cancer. It accounts for about 20 percent of cases.

This type of cancer starts in flat cells in the outer part of the epidermis. It commonly crops up on sun-exposed areas, such as the face, ears, neck, lips, and hands. It can also develop on scars or chronic sores.

Squamous cell carcinomas may develop from precancerous skin spots, known as actinic keratosis .

These cancers might look like:

• A firm, red bump
• A flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface
• A sore that heals and then reopens

People with lighter skin are more at risk for developing squamous cell carcinoma, but the skin cancer can also affect those with darker skin.

Other risk factors include:

• Having light eyes, blond or red hair, or freckles
• Being exposed to the sun or tanning beds
• Having a history of skin cancer
• Having a history of sunburns
• Having a weakened immune system
• Having the genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum

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Is Mohs Right For Me

Mohs surgery is the gold standard for treating many basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas , including those in cosmetically and functionally important areas around the eyes, nose, lips, ears, scalp, fingers, toes or genitals. Mohs is also recommended for BCCs or SCCs that are large, aggressive or growing rapidly, that have indistinct edges, or have recurred after previous treatment. Some surgeons are also successfully using Mohs surgery on certain cases of melanoma.

What Are The Complications Of Skin Cancer

Skin cancer can usually be treated and cured before complications occur. Signs of advanced, aggressive, or neglected skin cancer may include:

• Ulceration
• Bleeding
• Local invasion and destruction of adjacent tissues and structures
• Distant spread of a tumour to lymphglands and other organs such as liver and brain .

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