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Information About Skin Cancer I
By peace | December 10, 2006
The skin is the largest organ of the body. Your skin protects your body against heat, light, infection, and injury. It also stores water, fat, and vitamin D. Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin.
Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin, which can have many causes, including repeated severe sunburn or long-term exposure to the sun. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, so a tumor is usually clearly visible. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages. There are three common types of skin cancer each of which are named after the type of skin cell.
Skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer. It is estimated that over 1 million new cases occur annually. The annual rates of all forms of skin cancer are increasing each year, representing a growing public concern. It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once.
Skin cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up the skin. Normally, skin cells grow and divide to form new cells. Every day skin cells grow old and die, and new cells take their place.
Sometimes, this orderly process goes wrong. New cells form when the skin does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor.
Growths or tumors can be benign or malignant:
- Benign growths are not cancer:
- Benign growths are rarely life-threatening.
- Generally, benign growths can be removed. They usually do not grow back.
- Cells from benign growths do not invade the tissues around them.
- Cells from benign growths do not spread to other parts of the body.
- Malignant growths are cancer:
- Malignant growths are generally more serious than benign growths. They may be life-threatening. However, the two most common types of skin cancer cause only about one out of every thousand deaths from cancer.
- Malignant growths often can be removed. But sometimes they grow back.
- Cells from malignant growths can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs.
- Cells from some malignant growths can spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.
Types of Skin Cancer
Skin cancers are named for the type of cells that become cancerous.
The term “skin cancer” refers to three different conditions. From the least to the most dangerous, they are:
- Basal cell skin cancer grows slowly. It usually occurs on areas of the skin that have been in the sun. It is most common on the face. Basal cell cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body.
- Squamous cell skin cancer also occurs on parts of the skin that have been in the sun. But it also may be in places that are not in the sun. Squamous cell cancer sometimes spreads to lymph nodes and organs inside the body.
- Melanoma
These cancers usually form on the head, face, neck, hands, and arms. These areas are exposed to the sun. But skin cancer can occur anywhere. If skin cancer spreads from its original place to another part of the body, the new growth has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary growth. It is still called skin cancer.
The most common warning sign of skin cancer is a change in the appearance of the skin, such as a new growth or a sore that will not heal.
The two most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Together, these two are also referred to as nonmelanoma skin cancer. Melanoma is generally the most serious form of skin cancer because it tends to spread (metastasize) throughout the body quickly.
Topics: All Posts, Diseases, Man's health, Woman's Health | 1 Comment »
January 25th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
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