Skin Cancers

Skin cancer develops when skin cells reproduce irregularly and spread out of control. New skin cells often develop when existing skin cells are damaged or died. Cells grow quickly and develop abnormally when this system is not functioning properly.

Accumulated cells can be cancerous cells that expand to many parts of the body over time and cause a life-threatening issue if left untreated, or they can be benign cells that do not harm the body or infect the surrounding tissues. Exposure to the sun's Uv light seems to be usually what causes skin cancer.

The risk of melanoma, a form of skin cancer, is doubled by sunburns, particularly in the summer. Compared to non-Hispanic blacks and Asians, skin cancer is 30 times more common in non-Hispanic whites. For people of color, skin cancer is typically discovered later. The lymph nodes have already been affected by the malignancy in 25% of black melanoma diagnoses.

The chance of developing skin cancer considerably rises, particularly in those who work outside or spend a lot of time in the sun. People with fair eyes, blonde hair, redheads, and freckles are also more likely to develop skin cancer. Skin cancer is also influenced by genetic predisposition. People with a family history of skin cancer are more likely to develop it than those without one.

What Kinds of Skin Cancer Exist?

Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma are all types of skin cancer.

The tumor that develops from basal cells in the skin is known as basal cell carcinoma. The most typical form of skin cancer is also this one. Men are more likely than women to have it. A very significant chance of recurrence exists in those who have already experienced basal cell carcinoma once in their lives. White people are 19 times more likely to have it than Black people. Areas of the body that are exposed to sunlight are often where basal cell carcinoma develops. The risk of occurrence is also increased by exposure to radiation and arsenic.

After basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma is the second most frequent kind of skin cancer. It happens when malignancies develop in the squamous cells of the epidermis, the skin's outer layer. It is especially common in the body parts that are exposed to the sun. The mouth, anus, or lungs are examples of cavities with a mucus layer where it can also happen. The two types of squamous cell carcinoma are cutaneous and metastatic. Only the top layer of the skin is affected by cutaneous cancer, which does not spread. It spreads to different bodily parts when it is metastatic.

Melanoma is not as common as basal or squamous cell cancer. However, it is much more dangerous. Especially if left untreated, it spreads to other organs in the body and causes life-threatening danger.

Apart from these, there are different types of skin cancer such as Kaposi carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, but these are very rare.

Treatment Methods

The treatment method for skin cancer varies according to the stage of the cancer. Cancers that are only on the skin surface can also be taken from cancer tissue by biopsy. In the cryotherapy method, cancerous tissue is frozen using liquid nitrogen. Afterwards, the dead cells are removed. Another treatment method is Mohs surgery. In this surgical method, the area where the tumor is taken.

Afterwards, a thin layer of cancer cells is taken and examined under a microscope. The skin is removed as a thin layer until there are no cancerous cells left. In this way, the healthy tissue around the tumor is preserved as much as possible. In skin cancer, frequently preferred treatment methods such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy can be used in other cancer types. These methods are used especially in cases where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.