skin cancer: symptoms, causes and treatment

 What is skin cancer?

Skin cancer occurs when skin cells proliferate and multiply in an uncontrolled and disorderly manner.

Modern skin cells usually form as cells age and die, or when they are injured. When this plan does not work properly, rapid growth of cells (some of which may be atypical cells) occurs.

This set of cells may be noncancerous (generous), meaning it will not spread or cause harm, or cancerous, meaning it may spread to surrounding tissues or other areas of the body. your body if not detected and treated early.

Exposure to light (UV) from the sun is a common cause of skin cancer. The three main types of skin cancer are:

basal cell cancer.

squamous cell carcinoma.

melanoma cancer. 

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the primary common forms of skin cancer and are sometimes called "non-melanoma skin cancer."

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer while not being as frequent as basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas. Melanomas are more likely to spread to organs beneath the skin if left untreated or discovered at a late stage, making them difficult to cure and potentially fatal.

Fortunately, most skin cancers are curable if detected and treated early. That is why, if you suspect you have skin cancer, it is vital to get some protection and speak with your doctor.

How common is skin cancer?

Skin cancer is the most common cancer analyzed in the United States.

Other facts of skin cancer:

In the United States, 20% of people get skin cancer at some point in their lives.

Every day, more than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer.

Your risk of developing melanoma increases if you get sunburned five or more times in your life. The good news is that 99% of patients with early diagnosis and treatment survive for 5 years.

Compared with blacks or non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islanders, non-Hispanic whites have approximately 30 times higher rates of skin cancer. People with darker skin types are often diagnosed with later stages of skin cancer that are more difficult to treat. 

Only 25% of African-Americans with melanoma that have spread to nearby lymph nodes are examined. 

Symptoms

The next sections explain the signs and symptoms of common and uncommon kinds of skin cancer.

1. Basal cell carcinoma symptoms

Basal cell carcinoma typically develops on parts of your body that are exposed to the sun, including your face or neck.

Basal cell cancer may manifest as:

• A hump with pearls or wax
• A scar-like, flat lesion that is brown or flesh-colored.
• A wound that bleeds or scabs then heals and reappears

2. Squamous cell carcinoma symptoms

Squamous cell carcinoma is most commonly found on sun-exposed regions of your body, such as your face, ears, and hands. Individuals with darker skin are more prone to develop squamous cell carcinoma on parts of the body that are rarely exposed to sunlight.

Squamous cell carcinoma can manifest itself as:

• A solid red nodule
• A scaly, crusty lesion with a flat surface.

3. Melanoma symptoms

Somewhere on your body, in otherwise healthy skin, or in an existing mole that turns cancerous. Men affected by melanoma often develop it on the face or trunk. This form of cancer usually occurs in the lower leg of female patients. Melanoma can develop on unexposed skin in both men and women.

All skin types are susceptible to melanoma. Melanoma usually develops on the palms of the hands or feet, or even under the fingernails or toenails, in people with dark skin.

Symptoms of melanoma include.

• A significant brown patch with darker dots
• Moles that bleed, change size or texture
• Abnormalities and areas appear red, pink, white, blue, or blue-black in a small bordered lesion
• There is an itching or burning sensation in the vagina or anus 

Causes

Skin cancer develops when abnormal skin cells that have been damaged by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or other sources, such as tanning beds, grow out of control. Depending on the type of cells affected, there are three main types of skin cancer.

• Basal cell carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Melanoma

Other risk factors for skin cancer include fair skin, a history of sunburn, a family history of skin cancer, and exposure to certain chemicals or radiation. It is essential to protect your skin from UV rays by wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen and staying away from tanning beds. 

Treatment

In cases where the cancer is small and, in a sense, limited to the skin's surface, a biopsy by itself may be able to remove all the cancerous tissue. Some typical treatments for skin cancer, either taken alone or in combination, include:

1. Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to freeze skin cancer. After treatment, the dead cells quagmire off. This approach can be used to treat precancerous skin damage known as actinic keratosis, as well as other small, early malignancies confined to the skin's top layer.

2. Surgical excision

This procedure entails removing the tumor and a few layers of healthy skin to ensure that all cancer has been removed.

3. Mohs micrographic surgery

The unmistakable and increasing extent of the tumor was initially suppressed by this method. Your specialist will then use a surgical blade to remove a thin layer of cancer cells from the skin. 

Immediately after evacuation, diapers are examined with a magnifying device. Additional layers of tissue are removed layer by layer until no more cancer cells can be detected under the magnifying glass.

Mohs surgery removes the diseased tissue while keeping as much of the surrounding normal tissue as possible. It is most commonly used to treat basal and squamous cell malignancies, as well as sensitive or cosmetically important areas such as eyelids, ears, lips, eyebrows, and scalp. , fingers or genital area. 

4. Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Patients who cannot have surgery or who have a significant risk of recurrence frequently utilize it.