| Skin Cancer information including | | | | shoulders. Sometimes small blood vessels |
| symptoms, diagnosis, misdiagnosis, | | | | can be seen within the tumor. Crusting |
| treatment, causes | | | | and bleeding in the center of the tumor |
| Skin cancer is a malignant growth on | | | | frequently develops. It is often |
| the skin which can have many causes. | | | | mistaken for a sore that does not heal. |
| Skin cancer generally develops in the | | | | * Squamous cell carcinoma is commonly |
| epidermis (the outermost layer of skin), | | | | a red, scaling, thickened patch on |
| so a tumor is usually clearly visible. | | | | sun-exposed skin. Ulceration and |
| This makes most skin cancers detectable | | | | bleeding may occur. When SCC is not |
| in the early stages. There are three | | | | treated, it may develop into a large |
| common types of skin cancer, each of | | | | mass.Skin Cancer TreatmentMost skin |
| which is named after the type of skin | | | | cancers can be treated by removal of the |
| cell from which it arises. The two most | | | | lesion, making sure that the edges |
| common types are basal cell cancer and | | | | (margins) are free of the tumor cells. |
| squamous cell cancer. It accounts for | | | | These excisions provide the best cure |
| more than 75 percent of all skin | | | | for both early and high-risk disease.For |
| cancers. Squamous cell carcinomas arise | | | | low-risk disease, radiation therapy and |
| from the upper levels of the epidermis, | | | | cryotherapy (freezing the cancer off) |
| usually on places that have been exposed | | | | can provide adequate control of the |
| to the sun. Squamous cell carcinoma also | | | | disease; both, however, have lower |
| can spread internally. They account for | | | | overall cure rates than surgery.Most |
| about 20 percent of skin cancers in the | | | | skin cancers are removed surgically, by |
| United States.Melanoma is generally the | | | | a plastic surgeon or a dermatologist. If |
| most serious form of skin cancer because | | | | the cancer is small, the procedure can |
| it tends to spread (metastasize) | | | | be done quickly and easily, in an |
| throughout the body quickly.Signs and | | | | outpatient facility or the physician's |
| symptomsThere are a variety of different | | | | office, using local anesthesia. The |
| skin cancer symptoms. These include | | | | procedure may be a simple excision, |
| crabs or changes in the skin that do not | | | | which usually leaves a thin, barely |
| heal, ulcers in the skin, discoloration, | | | | visible scar. Or curettage and |
| and changes in existing moles. * | | | | desiccation may be performed. In this |
| Basal cell carcinoma usually looks like | | | | procedure the cancer is scraped out with |
| a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the | | | | an electric current to control bleeding |
| sun-exposed skin of the head, neck or | | | | and kill any remaining cancer cells. |