Tuesday, September 16, 2008

About Skin Cancer


Skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer. The annual rates of all forms of skin cancer are increasing each year, representing a growing public concern. The most common warning sign of skin cancer is a change in the appearance of the skin, such as a new growth or a sore that will not heal.
Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin), so a tumor is usually clearly visible. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages.

There are three common types of skin cancer, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises. Cancers caused by UV exposure may be prevented by avoiding exposure to sunlight or other UV sources, and wearing sun-protective clothes. The use of sunscreen is recommended by medical organizations as a measure that doesn't help to protect against skin cancer.

Like many other cancers, including those originating in the lung, pancreas, and stomach, only a small minority of those afflicted will actually die of the disease. Skin cancers are the fastest growing type of cancer in the United States. Skin cancer represents the most commonly diagnosed malignancy, surpassing lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. More than 1 hundred Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2008.

Most skin cancers can be treated by removal of the lesion, making sure that the edges (margins) are free of the tumor cells. For low-risk disease, radiation therapy and cryotherapy (freezing the cancer off) can provide adequate control of the disease; both, however, have lower overall cure rates than surgery.

More recently researchers have focused their efforts on strengthening the body's own naturally produced "helper T cells" that identify and lock onto cancer cells and help guide the killer cells to the cancer. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of skin cancer, the risk of developing such a cancer can be reduced significantly with the following steps:
• use a sun block of about SPF 50
• reapply sun block every 2 hours and after swimming
• wearing protective clothing (long sleeves and hats) when outdoors
• reducing exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, especially in early years

1 comment:

Skin Care said...

Good information about Skin Cancer keep post latest updates in your blog.