Part 2 of the What is Skin Cancer post....it took a little longer than I intended but here it is!!
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC):
SCC is the second most common form of skin cancer and is result of cumulative UV damage over a lifetime. It is so named because it comes from uncontrolled growth of UV damaged cells in the sqamous cells...the upper layer of the skin commonly referred the epidermis. SCC usually look like red scaly patches, open sores, elevated growths with a central depression, that may crust or bleed. Approximately 700k people a year are diagnosed with SCC and it can be extremely disfiguring and sometimes deadly if allowed to grow untreated. SCC
SCCs may occur on all areas of the body including the mucous membranes and genitals, but are most common in areas frequently exposed to the sun, such as the rim of the ear, lower lip, face, bald scalp, neck, hands, arms and legs. Often the skin in these areas reveals telltale signs of sun damage, such as wrinkling, changes in pigmentation, and loss of elasticity. SCC's are not to be taken lightly!!! If you an unusal place anywhere on your body....have your doctor check it out immediately! There are several viable treatment options including: Mohs Microsurgery, Cryosurgery, Photodynamic Therapy (BLUE-U), and Topical Medications (5FU).
Melanoma:
The most deadly form of skin cancer is melanoma. It grows when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells (most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds) triggers mutations (genetic defects) that lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but they can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. Melanoma is caused mainly by intense, occasional UV exposure (frequently leading to sunburn), especially in those who are genetically predisposed to the disease. Melanoma kills an estimated 8,790 people in the US annually.
If melanoma is recognized and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that at present, about 120,000 new cases of melanoma in the US are diagnosed in a year. In 2010, about 68,130 of these were invasive melanomas, with about 38,870 in males and 29,260 in women. Citation: Melanoma
Warning signe of Melanoma: Uset the ABCDE;s:
A- Asymmetry: the moles or lesion is not equally distributed
B- Border: borders are uneven and may even looked scalloped
C- Color: a potential melanoma will have multiple colors
D- Diameter: melanomas are typically larger than 1/4" (size of a pencil eraser) but could be smaller
E- Evolving: any change in size, shape, color, or bleeding, itchy, or bleeding may be signs of danger.
Treatment options: The first step in treatment is removing the melanoma. Surgical procedures have improved and Mohs Microsurgery is the best option. For patients with Stage III or IV melanoma, surgery is usually followed by additional treatments.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC):
SCC is the second most common form of skin cancer and is result of cumulative UV damage over a lifetime. It is so named because it comes from uncontrolled growth of UV damaged cells in the sqamous cells...the upper layer of the skin commonly referred the epidermis. SCC usually look like red scaly patches, open sores, elevated growths with a central depression, that may crust or bleed. Approximately 700k people a year are diagnosed with SCC and it can be extremely disfiguring and sometimes deadly if allowed to grow untreated. SCC
SCCs may occur on all areas of the body including the mucous membranes and genitals, but are most common in areas frequently exposed to the sun, such as the rim of the ear, lower lip, face, bald scalp, neck, hands, arms and legs. Often the skin in these areas reveals telltale signs of sun damage, such as wrinkling, changes in pigmentation, and loss of elasticity. SCC's are not to be taken lightly!!! If you an unusal place anywhere on your body....have your doctor check it out immediately! There are several viable treatment options including: Mohs Microsurgery, Cryosurgery, Photodynamic Therapy (BLUE-U), and Topical Medications (5FU).
Melanoma:
The most deadly form of skin cancer is melanoma. It grows when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells (most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds) triggers mutations (genetic defects) that lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but they can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. Melanoma is caused mainly by intense, occasional UV exposure (frequently leading to sunburn), especially in those who are genetically predisposed to the disease. Melanoma kills an estimated 8,790 people in the US annually.
If melanoma is recognized and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that at present, about 120,000 new cases of melanoma in the US are diagnosed in a year. In 2010, about 68,130 of these were invasive melanomas, with about 38,870 in males and 29,260 in women. Citation: Melanoma
Warning signe of Melanoma: Uset the ABCDE;s:
A- Asymmetry: the moles or lesion is not equally distributed
B- Border: borders are uneven and may even looked scalloped
C- Color: a potential melanoma will have multiple colors
D- Diameter: melanomas are typically larger than 1/4" (size of a pencil eraser) but could be smaller
E- Evolving: any change in size, shape, color, or bleeding, itchy, or bleeding may be signs of danger.
Treatment options: The first step in treatment is removing the melanoma. Surgical procedures have improved and Mohs Microsurgery is the best option. For patients with Stage III or IV melanoma, surgery is usually followed by additional treatments.
No comments:
Post a Comment