Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, affecting 1 in 5 Americans at some point in their lives. There are three main types:

• Basal cell skin cancer arises from cells at the base of your skin. It is the most common type of skin cancer, tends to grow slowly, and rarely spreads. But, if neglected, it can destroy bone and other tissues under the skin.
• Squamous cell skin cancer arises from cells in the outer layers of skin. It is the second most common type of skin cancer, and is more likely to grow deep and spread to other areas of the body.
• Melanoma arises from skin cells (melanocytes) that produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin color. Melanoma makes up less than 2% of skin cancers, but it tends to spread quickly and accounts for almost all deaths from skin cancer. However, it is almost always curable when you catch it early.

Fortunately, skin cancer is a highly preventable disease. Performing regular skin checks can help you find changes early when skin cancer is most treatable. 

Risk Factors and Causes

Anyone can get skin cancer. However, certain risk factors increase the likelihood of developing it including having:

• Actinic keratosis — a precancerous skin condition
• Excessive exposure to UV light through sun exposure or tanning bed use
• Fair skin, freckling, and light hair
• Family or personal history of skin cancer
• History of sunburns going back to childhood
• Male gender
• Moles
• Older age
• Weakened immune system

Symptoms

Skin cancer most commonly occurs on sun-exposed areas of the skin. But it’s possible to develop skin cancer just about anywhere, including the palms of your hands, genitals, and inside your mouth.

Skin cancer looks different based on the type of cancerous cell:

• Basal cell skin cancer may resemble a pale, waxy bump; a flat, flesh-colored growth that looks like a scar; a shiny, scaly patch that’s pink or red; or an open sore that does not heal.
• Squamous cell skin cancer often appears as a flat, scaly skin patch; a skin lump with a rough surface; or open sore that does not heal.
• Melanoma is like a mole that changes in any way including color, size or feel; a mole that bleeds; a brownish spot with darker speckles; or a spot or mole with irregular borders. 

Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the type, size and location of skin cancer. Standard treatment options include:

• Cryosurgery — freezing the growth with liquid nitrogen
• Curettage and electrodessication — scraping away the growth and destroying any remaining cancer cells with an electrical current
• Medicated creams
• Mohs surgery — removing the cancer layer by layer and using a microscope to check the cells for cancer 
• Photodynamic therapy — putting a chemical treatment on the growth and using special lights that kill cancer cells 
• Radiation therapy 
• Surgery — removing the cancer, underlying skin, and surrounding healthy tissue to leave a wide margin around the lesion

Chemotherapy or anticancer immunotherapy may also be necessary for skin cancer that has spread beyond the skin to nearby tissues, the lymph nodes, or to other organs.