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 Skin
Cancer
Any suspicious lesions necessitate
a visit to the dermatologist.
Early detection allows less
aggressive therapy and cure.
Why is skin cancer on the rise? Over the past 20 years people have
been spending more time in the sun without sunscreen. If the trend
toward daily use of sunscreen continues as we've seen over the past
five years, we may see the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancers
level off.
Nonmelanoma skin cancer (Basal
Cell Carcinoma and Squamous
Cell Carcinoma) is on the rise, and indeed has become a larger
proportion of a dermatologist's practice. While the diagnosis of
these cancers hasn't changed, we are able to diagnose skin cancer
earlier.
Any sore that bleeds, oozes or crusts and remains open for more
than 3 weeks, may be a sign of Basal
Cell Carcinoma (BCC), usually seen on the face, shoulders, arms
or legs. BCC can also appear as a reddish patch or irritated area,
occasionally with a crust. This can itch or hurt, but usually persists
with little or no discomfort. A pearly sore with little blood vessels
throughout is also a common presentation of BCC.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
(SCC) may arise in premalignant lesions called actinic Keratoses
(AK). AK's are pink-tan scaly dry, rough patches on sun-exposed
skin. Full-blown SCC occurs as raised, pink, opaque nodules (lumps)
or patches that frequently ulcerate in the center.
Future efforts must focus on the prevention of Basal and Squamous
Cell carcinoma. In 1970 there were 300,000 new cases of nonmelanoma
skin cancers according to the National Cancer Institute. In 1978
(when the study was last done), there were 400,000-500,000 newly
diagnosed nonmelanoma skin cancers, with Squamous Cell Carcinoma
accounting for 1/5 of the cases.
Monthly skin exam and daily
use of sunscreen (with SPF of 15 or higher) is your best shot at
reducing your risk
of skin cancer.
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