Squamous Cell Carcinoma Can Kill
Numbers in the UK are lower than the US due to population size but the basic message is the same, melanoma is not the only deadly skin cancer.
We dont want you to worry in one sense, the chances of squamous cell carcinoma spreading to lymph nodes, or other organs is much lower than malignant melanoma. This is however balanced by a far higher incidence.
There are around 150,000 documented UK skin cancer cases each year and over 20% are SCCs, which account for most non melanoma fatalities. There is also a notable trend for all non melanoma skin cancers:
Improved detection and treatment had seen fatalities consistently fall for 30 years until the trend turned around 2001. We are now back to the position about 40 years ago and whilst population increase plays a part, so does greater incidence.
A combination of lifestyle changes and holidays in the sun over decades has caught up with us. Treatment has continued to improve and digital technology helps with detection but we are not entirely winning the battle.
Can You Die From Skin Cancer Survival Rates And Prevention
Skin cancer has a high cure rate, Skin Cancer and Infectious Microbes, Basal cell carcinoma does spread on the skin and can become quite large over time, to Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, targeted therapy, The two main causes of skin cancer are the suns harmful ultraviolet rays and the use of UV tanning beds, Biopsy : Taking out a small piece of tissue to see if there are cancer cells in it, While people diagnosed with melanoma, It will be very important to protect youBasal cell carcinoma is a slow growing skin tumor
What Is Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, with approximately 80% of skin cancers developing from basal cells. The epidermis has three types of cells. The cells in the bottom layer of the epidermis are the basal cells.
Basal cells consistently divide to form new cells. These replace squamous cells, pushing old cells towards the skin’s surface, where they die and slough off. Cancers that start in this bottom/basal layer of skin cells are called basal cell carcinoma.
Basal cell carcinoma is usually triggered by damage from ultraviolet radiation. This is most commonly from either exposure to the sun or tanning beds. UV radiation can damage basal cells, causing them to change and grow uncontrollably.
Basal cell carcinoma can look different from person to person. It may present as an open sore, scaly patch, shiny bump, a red irritated patch, pink growth, waxy scar-like growth, or a growth that dips in the center. They can sometimes ooze, crust, or bleed
As it can vary in how it looks, it is essential to get any new growths, lesions, lumps, bumps, or changes of your skin checked by your doctor.
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What Is The Prognosis For Skin Cancer
Although the number of skin cancers in the United States continues to rise, more and more skin cancers are being caught earlier, when they are easier to treat. Thus, illness and death rates have decreased.
When treated properly, the cure rate for both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma approaches 95%. The remaining cancers recur at some point after treatment.
- Recurrences of these cancers are almost always local , but they often cause significant tissue destruction.
- Less than 1% of squamous cell carcinomas will eventually spread elsewhere in the body and turn into dangerous cancer.
In most cases, the outcome of malignant melanoma depends on the thickness of the tumor at the time of treatment.
- Thin lesions are almost always cured by simple surgery alone.
- Thicker tumors, which usually have been present for some time but have gone undetected, may spread to other organs. Surgery removes the tumor and any local spread, but it cannot remove distant metastasis. Other therapies, new targeted agents or older approaches such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy, are used to treat the metastatic tumors.
- Malignant melanoma causes more than 75% of deaths from skin cancer.
- Of the approximately 70,000 malignant melanomas diagnosed in the United States in 2007, the vast majority were cured. Still, thousands of people die of melanoma each year.
Skin Cancer Treatment In Older Adults
According to Dr. Truong, Some of my older patients tell me they prefer to leave skin cancer untreated. Every patient has unique attributes and a different picture of overall health, therefore, the pros and cons of leaving cancer untreated must be thoroughly discussed to determine the most appropriate management. Most of the time, I will recommend treatment to avoid further complications in the future, however, in some cases, it is more appropriate to defer treatment. Each patient situation will be different, but at any age, a serious conversation with your dermatologist is necessary to determine whether or not skin cancer treatment is necessary for your specific situation.
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See A Suspicious Spot See A Dermatologist
If you find a spot on your skin that could be skin cancer, its time to see a dermatologist. Found early, skin cancer is highly treatable. Often a dermatologist can treat an early skin cancer by removing the cancer and a bit of normal-looking skin.
Given time to grow, treatment for skin cancer becomes more difficult.
Seek Comprehensive Care If Your Skin Cancer Is Complicated To Treat
Complicated skin cancer may require the expertise of multiple specialists. Plastic surgeons may get involved when the cosmetic challenges are significant. An ocular surgeon or an oculoplastic specialist may be needed if you have an especially difficult-to-treat skin cancer close to the eye. A head and neck surgeon may join your care team if there is nerve involvement or if the cancer is too extensive for local anesthesia.
The beauty of a comprehensive cancer center like MSK is that the expertise is all here, says Dr. Lee. We have a multidisciplinary program especially for people with complex skin cancer. You can usually see all of your doctors on the same day and in the same location. The dermatology team works with you to coordinate your appointments with your schedule.
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What Kind Of Treatment Will I Need
There are many ways to treat melanoma. The main types of treatment are:
- Surgery
Most early stage melanomas can be treated with surgery alone. More advanced cancers need other treatments.
The treatment plan thats best for you will depend on:
- The stage of the cancer
- The results of lab tests on the cancer cells
- The chance that a type of treatment will cure the melanoma or help in some way
- Your age
- Other health problems you have
- Your feelings about the treatment and the side effects that come with it
Risks Associated With Untreated Melanoma
Melanoma makes up a very small percentage of overall skin cancer cases. However, melanoma is responsible for over half the annual deaths attributed to skin cancer. Dr. Truong says, Melanomas are an aggressive and quickly evolving form of cancer. Its the most likely to grow quickly and metastasize. A treatment plan should be formulated as soon as possible. When caught and treated early, melanoma has a high cure rate, but when treated in later stages, cure rates drop drastically, especially if the cancer has metastasized.
Within six weeks of initial development, melanoma can become life-threatening, therefore, early treatment is extremely important. In order to access treatment in the earliest stages, patients need to know what to look for. Melanoma develops from the melanocytes, cells that create the skins pigment. For this reason, patients will need to carefully note any existing or new moles, freckles, or dark spots on the skin, assessing the area for the ABCDEs: Asymmetry, uneven Border, inconsistent or unusual Color, Diameter greater than the size of a pencil eraser, and any areas that are Evolving or changing.
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Melanoma The Most Serious Skin Cancer Is Killing Fewer People Likely Due To New Treatments
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Between 2013 and 2016, the mortality rate for melanoma declined by almost 18 percent despite continued increases in the incidence of melanoma, according to a recent study published online in the American Journal of Public Health.
Melanoma is by far the most serious type of skin cancer, and its also among the most common types of cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, just over 100,000 cases of melanoma are diagnosed every year.
In the new study, researchers analyzed melanoma incidence and melanoma death rates between 1986 and 2016. During that period, the incidence of melanoma among Caucasians increased by an average of 2.7 percent every year. For white men 50 and older , cases increased 3.4 percent each year.
Between 1986 and 2013, overall deaths from melanoma also increased by a total of 7.5 percent. But starting in 2013, that began to change. Even for men 50 and older, death rates declined 8.25 percent.
This very sharp drop over such a short time is unprecedented in cancer, says study author David Polsky, the Alfred W. Kopf professor of dermatologic oncology at NYU Langone Health and Perlmutter Cancer Center. Its an incredibly significant improvement over a three-year period, and it appears that the rates are continuing to go down.
Who Is At Risk For Developing Melanoma
Everyone is at some risk for melanoma, but increased risk depends on several factors. These are sun exposure, number of moles on the skin, skin type and family history .
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How Serious Is My Cancer
If you have melanoma, the doctor will want to find out how far it has spread. This is called staging. Your doctor will want to find out the stage of your cancer to help decide what type of treatment is best for you.
The stage describes the growth or spread of the melanoma through the skin. It also tells if it has spread to other parts of your body.
Your cancer can be stage 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. The lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, like stage 4, means a more serious cancer that has spread beyond the skin. Be sure to ask the doctor about the cancer stage and what it means for you.
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What Are The Survival Rates For Melanoma
When melanoma is found and treated early, it is highly curable, with a five-year survival rate of more than 90%.
The five-year survival rate is about 70% when melanoma has spread only to the lymph nodes.
If melanoma has spread beyond the lymph nodes to other parts of the body, the five-year survival rate is about 25% but these numbers have improved. Now about 50% of adult patients treated with combination immunotherapy are expected to be alive four years after diagnosis.
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Skin Cancer And Infectious Microbes
It is important to realize that many scientists believe viruses, fungi and bacteria are all different stages of the microbe life cycle and are directly involved in all forms of cancer including skin and breast cancer. A significant number of cancer researchers have found evidence supporting the cancer fungus link so using bicarbonate and iodine, both antifungal medicines, is intelligent.
Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type of cancer among men and women. The most common types of skin cancer include:
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Basal cell
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Squamous cell
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Melanoma
Other rare types of skin cancer include keratoacanthomas, Merkel cell carcinoma, skin lymphoma, Kaposi sarcoma, skin adnexal tumors, and sarcomas. These are all non-melanoma types.
Natural Allopathic Medicine has protocol recommendations for treatments of these cancers that put to work the most effective and natural substances against the growth and metastases of cancer cells. The primary substances used in this protocol include:
Dr. Simoncini explains:
When the crust is formed, dont take it away, but treat the area continuously and wait until it falls without any other intervention except the iodine tincture. When the crust falls down the third time, the patient is healed. When a scab forms over the affected area it is allowed to drop off naturally until no further lesion is seen. This process may need to be repeated multiple times.
In Situ And Early Stage Cancer
The sections below will look at early stage cancer in more detail.
Stage 0
This means that cancers or tumors are in situ, or where they originally developed. It means that they have not spread.
This stage is usually highly curable, often through the surgical removal of the tumor or cancerous cells.
Stage 1
Often called early stage cancer, stage 1 cancers or tumors are small and not deeply embedded in surrounding tissues. They have also not spread to other parts of the body or the lymph system.
People with stage 0 or 1 cancers may not notice any symptoms. Others may experience symptoms or notice changes to their body, such as:
- abnormal lumps, bumps, firmness, or swelling
- skin changes, such as new or changing moles, itchiness, scaliness, or becoming dimpled, discolored, darkened, puckered, or inflamed
- a cough or hoarseness that does not improve
- abnormal nipple or genital discharge or changes
- difficulty or pain when urinating
- blood in the urine or stool
- unexplained bruising
- white or red patches on the tongue or in the mouth
- sores that do not heal
- yellowing of the skin and eyes
- unexplained weight loss or gain
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What Causes Skin Cancer
Most cases of skin cancer are caused by repeated and unprotected skin exposure to ultraviolet light from sunlight and tanning beds.
Risk factors for developing skin cancer include:
- Ultraviolet exposure from the sun or tanning beds
- Having certain types of moles
- Having fair skin that freckles or burns easily, light hair, and blue or green eyes
- Family history of skin cancer
- Personal history of skin cancers
- Having a compromised immune system, such as people who have HIV/AIDS, are organ transplant recipients, or are receiving certain medical treatments such as chemotherapy
- Older age: the risk increases as people age
- Being male
A Hopeful Future For Treating Melanoma
With a multidisciplinary team like we have at Roswell Park, were able to make better decisions regarding your care. Our dedicated team includes surgeons, dermatologists and oncology specialists who discuss the details of each case. Puzanov also notes that a team with so many different skills can help patients manage any side effects of their treatment. He estimates that nearly 50% of patients can enroll in new clinical trials, some of which are offered only at comprehensive cancer centers like Roswell Park.
We are starting to cure melanoma, and its very exciting, Puzanov adds happily. Were doing great things and hopefully people wont have to die from this diagnosis anymore. With new clinical trials, treatments and approaches, melanoma is quickly becoming a disease that can be managed and lived with as opposed to one that might be fatal.
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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.
Questions To Ask The Doctor
- Do you know the stage of the cancer?
- If not, how and when will you find out the stage of the cancer?
- Would you explain to me what the stage means in my case?
- What will happen next?
There are many ways to treat skin cancer. The main types of treatment are:
- Surgery
- Immunotherapy
- Chemotherapy
Most basal cell and squamous cell cancers can be cured with surgery or other types of treatments that affect only the spot on the skin.
The treatment plan thats best for you will depend on:
- The stage and grade of the cancer
- The chance that a type of treatment will cure the cancer or help in some way
- Your age and overall health
- Your feelings about the treatment and the side effects that come with it
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