Fortnightly features' series: Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer

 

What is Skin Cancer?

 

Commonly defined as the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells, cancer skin cells grow very quickly in a haphazard manner.

 

Causes of Skin cancer

 

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is the primary cause of skin cancer. Although the sun is responsible for the bulk of skin cancer cases, it is also possible to get skin cancer from excessive tanning through the UV light from artificial tanning beds.

 

Who are at risk for skin cancer?

 

Lack of adequate sun protection may put just about anyone at risk for skin cancer, although the risk is highest for people with fair or freckled skin that burns easily. People with light coloured eyes and fair coloured hair are also more susceptible. Darker skinned individuals can also get skin cancer although they tend to have a lower risk.

 

What are the Signs and Symptoms?

 

Doctors usually start by looking out for visible changes on the skin in the signs of a new mole or skin lesion. Morphological changes in existing moles are also examined.

Some things to look out for include:

 

• A smooth, pearly or waxy bump on the face, ears or neck
• A pink/red- or brown lesion on the trunk, arms or legs
• A firm, red nodule or rough scaly flat lesion that may itch, bleed and become crusty.

These are some indication of the presence of melanoma, and doctors often apply the ABCD rule when diagnosing skin cancer:

 

A-      Asymmetry- shape of one half does not match the other

B-      Border- edges are ragged or blurred

C-      Colour- uneven shades of brown, black, tan, red, white or blue

D-     Diameter- a significant change in size (anything more than 6mm  needs to be examined)

 

Diagnosis will usually be confirmed by performing a biopsy which requires the taking of a sample of the tissue and examining it under a microscope to determine if cancer cells are present.

 

Treatment

 

Depending on the type of skin cancer, its size and where they are located, the doctor will discuss with you the best possible treatment options. Some common treatments include:

• Excising the cancer and some extra tissue around it
• Scraping away the cancer cells and then performing electrosurgery
• Cryosurgery or freezing with ultralow temperatures
• Laser therapy
• Drug therapy (such as chemotherapy and biological response modifiers which target to destroy the cancer cells)
• Radiation therapy

Prevention

 

The best way to prevent skin cancer is to adopt practical sun protection. While nothing can undo sun damage, the skin may be able to repair itself sometimes. Other lifestyle modifications such as stop smoking, applying sunscreen with an SPF factor greater than 15, and selecting products with UV protection, can also help with providing you with healthier skin. Parents should help to educate their children and foster good habit from young as most of a person’s sun exposure in his/her lifetime is acquired before the age of 18.

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