Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer – General Information

Skin Cancer – Symptoms

In most cases, Skin Cancer appears in those parts of the patient’s body that have been directly exposed to the UV light, and can include face, scalp, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms or hands. There are also cases in which it can develop in areas that are not even excessively exposed to the sun, such as palms, beneath the fingernails, in the space between the toes or even in the genital area. It is very important to know that this kind of cancer can affect patients of all skin tones, not only those with fair skin. A lesion caused by this kind of condition can appear suddenly and develop asymptomatically, causing, in more advanced stages, severe manifestations. The signs and symptoms caused by the Skin Cancer differ depending on the type of cancer the patient is suffering from.

The most common form of cancer is basal cell carcinoma, which is also the easiest to treat; it can cause the following signs: a pearly bump on the affected part of the body, or a flat brown colored lesion on the patient’s chest or back. Squamous cell carcinoma can be cured if it is discovered in early stages of development, as it is likely to rapidly spread in its advanced stages. The most common signs of this cancer can include a red nodule on the affected area of the patient’s body, or a flat lesion with a crusted surface on the exposed parts of the body. The most severe form of Skin Cancer is melanoma, the main cancer responsible for increased death rates.

Skin Cancer – Treatment

In most cases, the treatment for Skin Cancer is applied differently depending on the cancer’s size, type, depth, and location. Usually, the first treatment option is surgery and use of topical medicines that act by removing the cancer cells. There are cases in which the patient only requires a surgical intervention to fully remove the tumor. There are also many other treatment options that can be successfully applied depending on each patient and can include freezing, excisional surgery, laser therapy, Moh’s surgery, radiation therapy, curettage and electrodessication and chemotherapy. Usually, the freezing procedure is applied to destroy the small cancers, and uses liquid nitrogen. Some patients can develop a small, white scar after applying the cryosurgery procedure, and, if necessary, it can also be repeated to remove the tumor completely.

Excisional surgery is a procedure that can be applied in all forms of Skin Cancer and consists in cutting the cancerous growth and the surrounding tissue. There are cases in which the doctor can perform a wide excision, removing certain additional healthy tissue that surrounds the affected area. It is very important to know that this kind of treatment option can leave significant scars, and it is recommended to consult a doctor specialized in skin reconstruction. Laser therapy uses an intense beam of light that acts by vaporizing the abnormal growths, causing minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. This kind of procedure is recommended when the Skin Cancer affects areas located on the patient’s face, such as the patient’s lips or forehead. Moh’s surgery is a type of procedure that can be applied for larger, more severe forms of the cancer and consists in removing the tumor, layer by layer, examining each removal under a microscope. The procedure is repeated until the last layer that has been removed does not present cancerous cells. It is considered an effective procedure because it also minimizes the removal of the surrounding healthy tissues.

Curettage consists in removing the tumor using a circular blade called curette; after the procedure is done, the doctor inserts an electric needle to destroy any remaining abnormal cells. This kind of procedure is especially effective in less severe forms of the Skin Cancer. Radiation therapy is usually used after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells. If any of these therapies are not effective, the first treatment option in treating Skin Cancer is chemotherapy, which consists in applying certain medicines such as Vincristine, Thioridazine and Clofibrate. It is very important for the doctor to check the patient before applying the treatment, because he can develop severe allergies, inflammations and scars. There are cases in which the patient’s cancer has already advanced too much and has spread to the other parts of the body; in such cases, the most effective treatment option is systemic chemotherapy. For cancers that are located at the surface of the skin, doctors can prescribe certain creams and lotions that contain anti cancer agents. The good part about these recommendations is that the creams can be applied directly on the skin, without leaving scars.