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Skin Cancer Foundation
Clearly, everyone who sits in the sun is not going to get
skin cancer. But the numbers do make you think twice: This
year more than one million Americans will develop one of the
three forms of skin cancer basal cell carcinoma, squamous
cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma and over 90
percent of these cancers will appear on sun-exposed skin,
usually on the face, neck, ears, forearms, and hands. What's
more, every hour an American dies from skin cancer.
How
it happens
The connection between the sun's powerful ultraviolet UVA
and UVB rays and skin cancer is indisputable. In a nutshell,
overexposure to those rays ravages our skin cells, which are
made up of two layers. The top layer, or epidermis, includes
three types of cells: flat, scaly squamous cells; round basal
cells; and melanocytes, the cells that give skin its color.
It's these last cells that are most vulnerable. Too much sun
prompts visible damage (like sunburn or tanning) as well as
invisible, cellular-level damage that adds up over the years.
Depending on the individual, that damage can eventually prompt
wrinkles, age spots, and, often, skin cancer.
Melanoma
Of the three cancers, potentially fatal melanoma is the most
serious. Nearly 40,000 Americans will develop it this year.
"Malignant melanoma is the emerging common cancer in young
adults and in women in their 20s and 30s, second only to breast
cancer," says Alan M. Houghton, M.D., the principal investigator
in a melanoma vaccine study sponsored by the Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Squamous cell carcinoma
and basal cell carcinoma are just as dangerous if they spread,
but they're curable if you catch them early; that's why detection
is so important. So if you see any changes in the skin, such
as a growth, a sore that doesn't heal, or moles that are starting
to look irregular, consult your dermatologist immediately.
And if a family member has had melanoma or you have a high
number of moles, Dr. Houghton suggests seeing a dermatologist
once or twice a year.
Melanoma
usually begins as a dark brown or black patch with irregular
borders and is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of
pigment-producing tanning cells. It may appear anywhere on
the body without warning or start near a mole. It has a tendency
to spread, making it essential to treat it right away. Since
melanoma is often linked to a change in one of your moles
(most of us have 100 or so), you should inspect them regularly
and look for any changes in their size and color, such as
the appearance of a bump or the spreading of pigment around
the border. The Skin Cancer Foundation and the American Academy
of Dermatology recommend using the ABCD method (see photos
above) to help detect melanoma: A (most early melanomas are
asymmetrical); B (borders of melanomas are uneven);
C (color; varied shades of brown, tan, or black are
often the first sign of melanoma); and D (diameter;
early melanomas tend to grow larger than common moles).
Squamous and basal cell carcinomas
The second most common skin cancer in Caucasians is squamous
cell carcinoma, which begins in the squamous cells of the
epidermis. You'll often see scaly patches or raised growths
on your skin in such places as the tip of your nose, or on
your forehead, lower lip, or hands. Since this carcinoma can
spread, spotting these growths early on is critical. The third
kind of cancer, basal cell carcinoma, often starts as small,
fleshy bumps on your face, ears, lips, or around your mouth.
These bumps ma become crusty or may not heal easily and, even
though the tumors rarely spread to other parts of the body,
they can continue to grow, making it essential to have them
removed.
"If
you have a question about a change in your skin or a mole,
don't wait," says Wilma Bergfeld, M.D., a dermatologist at
the Cleveland Clinic. "One of my patients was a young dentist
who had just finished with his training. He had a brown mole
on his belly and never removed it. Two years later, it bled.
And, even though we removed it, the cancer had already spread
to his brain and liver. Don't put off removing something suspicious." ![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090115202146im_/http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/images/line.jpg)
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
Photographs
courtesy The Skin Cancer Foundation, copyright 1985
© 1997 by The Hearst Corporation; all rights reserved
Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
American Academy of Dermatology
Cleveland Clinic
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