Skin Cancer: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Types of Skin Cancer

• The top layer is known as the dermis.
• The middle layer is known as the epidermis.
• The innermost layer is known as the subcutaneous layer.

As a result, skin cancer can come in one of the following three forms:

• squamous cell carcinoma, skin cancer that affects the dermis layer of skin
• basal cell carcinoma, skin cancer that affects the epidermis
• melanoma, skin cancer that affects the subcutaneous layer.

Basal cell carcinoma and sqamous cell carcinoma are types of skin cancer that tend to affect the most surface layers of the skin. Both of these skin cancers are marked by slow growth and, therefore, general respond well to treatment, especially when treatment starts early on.

Conversely, melanoma is a type of skin cancer that plagues the deeper skin layers. Because melanoma is more likely to spread (metastasize) than the other types of skin cancer, it is considered to be the most dangerous type of skin cancer. In fact, melanoma results in death more than any other type of skin cancer.

Some other types of skin cancer that are far more uncommon include:

• Kaposi sarcoma, skin cancer that affects the blood vessels. This serious form of skin cancer typically affects patients with compromised immune systems, such as AIDS patients.
  
  
• Merkel cell carcinoma, skin cancer that develops in the hair follicles. This type of skin cancer that tends to metastasize easily generally occurs on patients’ arms, neck, head and legs.
  
  
• Sebaceous gland carcinoma, skin cancer that affects the oil glands. This severe type of skin cancer usually affects the eyelids, although it can occur anywhere on the body.

Causes of Skin Cancer

• exposure to toxins and harsh chemicals
• heredity (Family history of skin cancer is thought to play a larger role in those who develop skin cancer in areas of the skin not normally exposed to the elements.)
• malfunction of the skin’s normal process of cell regeneration
• radiation treatments
• ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or tanning beds
• UVA and UVB rays from the sun.

Signs and Symptoms of Skin Cancer

• Basal cell carcinoma
  • flat, skin-toned growths that resemble scars on the back and/or chest
  • white, waxy bumps on the face and neck.
    
    
• Melanoma
  • dark lesions on the hands and feet, as well as on the anus, mouth and vagina
  • lesions with irregular borders
  • moles that tend to bleed
  • multi-colored moles
  • red, white or blue spots on the abdomen or extremities
  • shiny, firm lumps
    
    
• Squamous cell carcinoma
  • firm, red lumps
  • scaly, flat, crusty lesions on the affected area.

Skin Cancer Treatments

• other health conditions from which you may suffer
• the type of skin cancer you have
• your age
• your current state of health
• whether or not the cancer has spread to other areas of the body.

However, in general, skin cancer treatment calls for the surgical removal of abnormal growths or the use of topical creams to destroy malignant cells. In some cases, any one or combination of the following treatments is necessary to further treat the skin cancer:

• freezing cells with liquid nitrogen
  
  
• performing excisional surgery, a procedure in which doctors cut cancerous cells and some health surrounding skin out of the patient
  
  
• performing Mohs surgery, a procedure in which doctors remove abnormal skin growths layer by layer until all malignant cells are extracted
  
  
• undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to destroy malignant cells when a patient can’t have surgery
  
  
• using laser therapy to vaporize malignant cells on the skin’s surface
  
  
• using curettage and electrodesiccation, a procedure in which doctors use an electric needle to remove any remaining cancerous cells that surgery or other procedures left behind

Resources