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