Skin cancer is an increasingly common disease. This is probably due to a combination of more research into the disease leading to greater public awareness of the issue. And environmental and behavioral conditions changing in contemporary life. Skin cancer is broken down into three types - Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. This article will discuss spotting squamous skin cancer and common characteristics of the disease.
The early signs of squamous cell carcinoma are a red mark or spot forming on the top of the skin or epidermis. Squamous cell carcinoma is known to spread so the mark may get bigger and develop into an irregular shaped mark of blemish. Eventually the blemish may become scaly or hard. It may develop a lesion and bleed in some cases. If it isn't treated the carcinoma will spread but normal to surrounding skin cells on the surface of the skin.
Another type of squamous skin cancer is called Bowen's disease. It generally occurs in people over sixty and is more common in women. It's typical signs are a large red rash on the surface of the skin. It is slightly elevated from the skin and had a pronounced edge. As it develops the rash will become scaly to the touch and lesions may develop.
A mature squamous cell carcinoma can often look like a large open ulcer on the surface of the skin. It will bleed often and require constant attention. The cancerous cells can form anywhere on the body but are more commonly found in areas that get most exposed to sunlight or other forms of UV rays. So look for them on the face, ears neck, upper back and arms.
Squamous skin cancer on the face is often noticed very quickly as people are very conscious of how their faces look. In other areas it may not be as easy to spot. However, once it is spotted, it can be treated pretty quickly. treatment involves removing the cancerous cells either by excision or freezing. This can be done with a local anesthetic in you doctor's surgery.
Preventing squamous skin cancer is obviously more desirable than ever having to treat it. The best way to prevent any skin cancer is to limit the amount of time you spend in the sun or appliances that expose the skin to UVA and UVB radiation (like sun beds). The length of time depends on your skin type but no matter what type it is you should avoid excessive sun tanning and sunburn.
If you spend a bit of time in the sunshine during recreational activities or maybe your working hours are outdoors then stay protected from UV rays. Wear clothing that shields your skin from the sun. Wear a hat, preferably with a wide brim to protect the face. Wear sunglasses as the eyes can also be sensitive to UV rays. And always cover uncovered parts of the body with a good, high protection factor sunscreen.
If you have been diagnosed with skin cancer you may well be uncertain about the treatment you will receive as, even if you have already discussed your treatment with your physician, you may still be reeling from all the technical and medical jargon that was thrown at you. It is also possible that you may not have taken in the information because of the shock following the diagnosis. Here therefore is a brief description of just some of the treatments that are commonly used to treat skin cancer. The type of treatment you will receive will depend upon several different things including such things as your age and whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of your body. Your treatment may include surgery in which your surgeon may decide to remove the cancerous region itself together with some of the surrounding skin. The amount of normal skin removed will be dependent upon the particular form of cancer found and how deep it is. Usually an area of approximately one or two centimeters of skin from the surrounding area is removed. Some types of skin cancer can be treated by freezing using a substance called liquid nitrogen or treated with drugs such as Imiquimod which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use on superficial basal cell carcinoma. A more extensive type of surgery might be needed where a sentinel lymph node is found to contain cancer cells after a biopsy of a suspect area. This technique is designed to remove lymph nodes close to the cancer along with affected skin and is generally followed up with radiotherapy. Another recent development for skin cancer treatment is what is known as immunotherapy cancer vaccination although research into this form of treatment is still being conducted and it is not yet widely available. You may be given chemotherapy if the cancer has spread into other areas. Although there is no definite prevention of skin cancer there are various things which you can do to reduce your chance of developing the disease and the most important yet often disregarded is to minimize the skin's exposure to the sun. All of us, no matter what the type or color of skin you have should make use of a sunscreen with a protection factor of at least 15. It is also a good idea to wear sufficient clothing and remain in the shade as much as possible, particularly between 11am and 3pm when the sun's rays are at their strongest. By the same token, it is not advisable to make use of sunlamps and sun beds as these too give off harmful rays. Lastly, keep a check on your skin and pay special attention to any changes in lesions and moles. If you notice any changes then you ought to visit your physician as quickly as you can so that treatment can be started without delay
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