Skin cancers originate in any of the cells of the skin. The skin consists of different cells namely basal cells, squamous cells, melanocytes, merkel cells, etc. the cancer is named according to the cell of origin. Among skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma is very common, followed by squamous cell carcinoma and lastly melanoma which is more dangerous than other two forms. The skin cancer appears as a normal mole, or pimple which gradually changes into the cancerous form.
The early diagnosis is very important to restrict the cancer spread. The prognosis of skin cancer varies depending on the nature of the cells. Buy cancer medicines online at low cost from 3MEDS. In this article, I’ll tell about types of skin cancers, causes, symptoms, and treatment.
What are the types of skin cancers?
Based on the cells of origin, skin cancer is mainly of four types.
Basal cell carcinoma:
The cancer arising in the basal cells form the basal cell carcinoma. They constitute 80% of the skin cancers diagnosed per year. Sun-exposed areas are more prone to develop basal cell carcinoma, i.e. head and neck region. It can also develop in other areas of the skin.
Basal cell carcinoma is more common in the cheek region where the sun exposure is more. It appears as a mole. The cancer grows very slowly. The metastasis is very low for basal cell carcinoma. The cancer grows vertically deeper instead of horizontal which makes it appear smaller.
The recurrence is high for basal cell carcinoma.
Symptoms of basal cell carcinoma:
· Appearance of pale patch, or pearly bump which can be red or pinkish.
· Crusted appearance of the reddish patch
· Brownish-scar type lesion on chest
· Tendency to bleed on touch.
Squamous cell carcinoma:
The cancer arising in the flat, or squamous cells form the squamous cell carcinoma. They constitute 20% of the skin cancers diagnosed per year. The cancer has specific predilection for sun exposed areas followed by other areas of the body. Face, neck, hands, feet, lips are directly exposed to sun.
Less common areas include scalp, genital region, skin ulcers, etc. The metastasis is low in general, however, it’s higher than basal cell carcinoma. The squamous cell cancer has ability to invade the fatty tissue beneath the skin resulting in spread.
Symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma:
· Formation of rough lump or nodule
· Appearance of red scaly patches
Melanoma:
The cancer arising in melanocytes form the melanoma. These cells are responsible for producing melanin pigment which provides shade to the skin and protect the skin from harmful rays of sun. Therefore, melanoma is more commonly seen in white skinned individuals due to lack of melanin.
Melanoma is less common but has more potential for metastasis. It can develop anywhere in the body including eye.
Symptoms of melanoma:
The rule of ABCDE is used to determine if a mole or spot is melanoma or not.
· A stand for asymmetry. A mole which appears greater on one side than the other when divided into two requires attention.
· B stand for border. The borders should be smooth for normal mole however, in melanoma the border may be raised or notched.
· C stand for colour change. A regular mole remains constant whereas, melanoma may cause variation of colours in a mole.
· D stand for diameter. A mole of larger diameter i.e. 6mms requires medical attention.
· E stand for evolving. Appearance of more number of moles or changes in pre-existing moles should be noted.
Apart from these, bleeding, itching, or burning sensation of moles.
Merkel cell carcinoma
The cancer arising in merkel cell forms the merkel cell carcinoma. Merkel cells are responsible for producing sensation of skins. This form of cancer is aggressive in nature and is rare. The common areas for cancer are sun exposed areas in the people above 50 years of age.
Symptoms of merkel cell carcinoma:
· Appearance of red or flesh coloured moles.
Other rare forms are, Kaposi’s sarcoma, actinic keratosis, skin lymphomas, and keratoacanthoma.
What are the causes of skin cancer?
· Gene mutation results in changes in the epidermal cell layer of the skin.
· Ultraviolet rays and other hazardous radiations.
· Risk factors are,
· Light skin
· Prolonged sun exposure
· Sunburns
· Moles
· Precancerous lesions
· Weakened immunity
What are the treatments for skin cancer?
Topical medications: application of cream, gels topically over the lesion for several weeks. The creams are Aldara, Zyclara. Order Anti-cancer medicines Delhi from 3MEDS.
Cryosurgery: application of liquid nitrogen over the lesion to reduce the size. The lesion eventually falls off in actinic keratosis.
Electrodessication & Curettage: with the help of local anaesthesia, your doctor will scrape of the lesion with curette. The lesion is then cauterized with an electric needle.
Surgical excision: removal of tumour with the help of surgery along with removal of healthy adjacent tissue.
Takeaway:
As you all know prevention is better than cure, following precautions will avoid the development of skin cancers. Do not ignore any suspicious changes of your skin. Early diagnosis is very important to treat the cancer. For medications at low price, visit 3MEDS- Best medicine app Delhi.