How Is Skin Cancer Caused
Skin cancer, like all cancers, is caused when the body is exposed to some external environmental condition. This causes the DNA within the cells directly exposed to the carcinogen to mutate. They become known as an oncogene that encourages tumor growth in the cell.
Two of the main problems with preventing and treating cancer is that it is not always clear what the external environmental condition is that causes the cancer and being able to detect the tumor growth before it becomes hard to treat. In the case of skin cancer it is generally agreed that exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV rays) is the environmental condition. And in most cases, the cancer is on the surface of the skin so can be detected quickly. The most common form of UV rays that people are exposed to are in sunlight.
However, some people can be exposed to sunlight more than others and never appear to develop skin cancers. It seems that some people are more sensitive to the ultraviolet radiation than others (although too much exposure to the sun will result in skin cancer for most people eventually). This is true and is based on the amount of melanin in the body. Melanin is the body’s natural defense against the sun. It turns the skin brown as a way prevent it from burning. This is the tan that many people cultivate.
People with low amounts of melanin will have paler skin. The skin will most likely turn red rather than brown and will burn before it tans (if it tans at all) depending on the melanin level. This is fair common knowledge to most people. Indeed, people with pale or blue eyes and fair hair are in the same category. They are likely to burn in the sun and this suggests that they have been exposed to too much ultraviolet radiation.
Even if you do not have a fair complexion, you may still be susceptible to developing skin cancer if your family has a history of developing the disease.
The effects of skin cancer vary depending on the type of carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It is normally found on areas of the body directly exposed to the sun. It is generally a mark or spot on the skin that could be brown or red. In most cases it will not spread from the original location.
Squamous cell carcinoma is another form of skin cancer that is normally found on parts of the body that are exposed to sunlight. Again, it does not always spread from the original location but is more likely to spread than basal cell. If it does spread it will normally only spread to surrounding cells. So if it is on the surface of the skin you will notice a mark that is brown or red that starts to get larger over time.
Melanoma is the third form of skin cancer. It is rare but potentially serious. It doesn’t always appear on areas of the body directly exposed to sunlight but can be in unusual places, like the feet, that may rarely come into contact with sunlight. Again, it might look like a red or brown blemish or spot initially. As it develops it may develop into a lump under the skin.
Of the three forms of skin cancer, melanoma is most likely to be malignant. This means it can grow at an uncontrollable rate and spread to other parts of the body. When this occurs it can become invasive, in that it will grow through other tissues or organs destroying them in the process. Even if it does not destroy organs, the melanoma can become so large that it prevents the organs from functioning properly.
If melanoma metastasizes throughout the body, treating it becomes extremely difficult thus early detection is key to melanoma treatment.
Limiting your exposure to sunlight and other forms of ultraviolet radiation is the best preventative care you can take. Getting your skin checked out from time to time by your doctor is also a good idea. This is especially good advice if you notice any new or unusual moles or spots on your skin. Or if these lesions appear to have changed in any way.
Filed under: Health & Fitness