Skin Cancer
By: Alissa Reitter and McKenzie Rendall
What is skin cancer?
Skin cancer is a visible growth on skin that can be a malignant melanoma or a non-melanoma cancer.
It is very rare for either types of skin cancer to cause death, however malignant melanoma is more likely to cause death than non-melanoma cancer.
What are the symptoms of skin cancer?
Contact your doctor if you find:
A growth or mole found on your skin with or without color
Change in appearance of skin including dryness, oozing, scaliness, or roughness
A sore that doesn't go away or heal
A mole that has pigment extend past the edge of it
- Change in sensation of skin, including pain, tenderness, and itchiness.
How common is skin cancer?
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.
About 3.3 million cases of skin cancer each year
Most common forms of skin cancer:
Basal Cell Carcinoma 80%
Squamous Cell Carcinoma 20%
The total amount of new cases of skin cancer every year is bigger than the amount of new cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer.
How is skin cancer diagnosed?
Doctors diagnose skin cancer by examining the skin, or removing the skin for testing.
doctors may check the skin for the symptoms of skin cancer
doctors may do a skin biopsy, removing of the suspicious skin to examine under a microscope
(Likes.com)
What are the potential causes of skin cancer?
People are at a higher risk of getting cancer if they spend a large amount of time in the sun, have had a bad sunburn, have fair skin, hair and eyes, have family members who have had skin cancer, or are older than 50 years old.
Men are three times more likely to get skin cancer than women Arsenic, industrial tar, coal, paraffin, and some types of oil can cause skin cancer smoking history, previous skin cancer, HPV, scar tissue, burns, ulcers on skin, history of illness, diseases, and immune system issues are all potential causes of skin cancer
What happens at the cellular and molecular level?
The root cause of cancer is microbes that are in the bloodstream or organs.
1: Microbes get inside organs
2: Microbes release mycotoxins (acidic)
3: Cells in organ become weak because they live in mycotoxins
4: Organs made of cells, since cells are weak, organ is weak
5: Immune system becomes weak
6: Because the immune system is weak, the cancer cell grow out of control
(Cancer Treatment Centers of America)
What are the treatments and cures for skin cancer?
Surgery is dependant on:
The type of skin cancer you have
The size of the cancer
Where the cancer is
The stage of the cancer (if relevant)
Radiotherapy is used when:
the cancer covers a wide area
it is in an area that is difficult to operate on
surgery is not suitable(may be elderly or have other health problems)
PDT:
uses drug that makes skin cells sensitive to light
Chemotherapy:
only in certain circumstances
Used:
To treat actinic keratosis
- For skin cancers that are only on the top layer of the skin
Works Cited
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Wang, Songtao, et al. "Association of interferon regulatory factor 4 gene polymorphisms rs12203592 and rs872071 with skin cancer and haematological malignancies susceptibility: a meta-analysis of 19 case-control studies." BMC Cancer 14 (2014): 410. Science in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2015. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/AcademicJournalsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Journals&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=SCIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA371493285&source=Bookmark&u=amhe95753rpa&jsid=8d6a80a287bf02a2c68583afefbce5dc>
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"How Is Melanoma Skin Cancer Diagnosed?" How Is Melanoma Skin Cancer Diagnosed? N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2015.
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"Skin Cancer (Non-Melanoma)." NHS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2015. <http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cancer-of-the-skin/pages/introduction.aspx>.
"Do You Have Skin Cancer?" Likes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2015. <http://likes.com/misc/do-you-have-skin-cancer?page=3>.