Skin+Cancer

Skin cancer By: Bethany Hill 1/10/08

Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the outer layer of skin. A malignant growth is one that has the potential to cause death. Skin cancers are often divided into two general groups; malignant melanomas and non melanoma cancers. The only way to remove skin cancer is to have surgery, go get cryotheropy done, if the disease has spread deep into your organs then you need to have metastasis, some skin cancers can be treated by chemotherapy, skin cancer are often treated by radiotherapy, the most advanced treatment is biological therapy. The way to detect skin cancer is if you have freckles, moles, or birth marks. Having freckles or lentigos irradiated by the sun can give you skin cancer, having big moles, or if you are a child with a giant birth mark you have a 10% chance of getting skin cancer later on and if you lay in the tanning bed or go out in the sun without sunscreen on and skin cancer comes from heredity. The symptoms of having skin cancer is if you have moles and they have changed in color, shape, size, it gets crusty and starts bleeding, the sensory changes, its more than 0.28 in. long, and you have liver problems. In 2001 5% of men had skin cancer and 4% of women had it. There were 553,400 deaths in the U.S in 2001. In 2007 there were 59,940 new cases of skin cancer, 8,110 deaths, the 5 year localized survival rate is 99%, and the 5 year overall survival rate is 91%. The risk for skin cancer is 13 per 100,000 of the population. People between 30 to 60 have more skin cancer than younger people. Sun exposure increases the risk to get skin cancer. Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States. There are 3 major types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamsous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Skin cancer develops on the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, hands, and it can also be on woman’s legs. The way to decrease your chances of getting skin cancer is when you go out into the sun put sunscreen on and don’t lay in the tanning bed.