Types Of Skin Cancer

Types of skin cancer - What is skin cancer? Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer among white people. In the United States, it is also the most common of all cancers. Cancer arises because the body cells continue to share unrestrained. This also happens with skin cancer.

The number of patients with skin cancer increases each year. In 2017 there were about 161,790 new cases of melanoma, 74,680 noninvasive (in situ) and 87,110 invasives. Each year in the U.S. over 5.4 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are treated in more than 3.3 million people. In addition to the number of patients with skin cancer, the number of people with a precursor of skin cancer also increases. This precursor of squamous cell carcinoma is called actinic keratosis.

Types of skin cancers

There are four main types of skin cancers that you should look out for when you look at the skin.

Basal Cell Carcinoma
This is the most common form of skin cancer, but also the least dangerous.
Basal cell cancer looks like a skin-colored bump with a shiny, pearly edge, like a wound that does not heal, or a slightly crusty spot that slowly grows larger. If it is not treated, it can weaken (ulcer) and penetrate into deeper tissues.



Actinic Keratoses
These lesions are precancerous; in 10-15% they degenerate into a spinocellular or squamous cell carcinoma, so they must be treated to prevent degeneracy. We usually see it on the sun-exposed skin such as the face, neck, ears, backs, and scalp in the elderly and middle-aged people. They look like red-brown scaly rough spots on the skin.

Cell Spinocellular or Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cell skin carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer and usually occurs on the skin that is exposed to the sun such as the face and (bald) scalp.
Squamous cell skin carcinoma looks like a crusty bump that can grow quickly, which can weaken/ulcerate and be wetting. It can spread quickly especially if it is on the lips, ears, fingers or toes, or in patients with immunodepression (reduced resistance). Surgical treatment is essential.

Melanoma
This is the least common form of skin cancer, but also the most dangerous. It can occur at all ages, while the other types occur earlier in older people. How a skin cancer melanoma looks like varies: a stain that darkens pigment, or develops irregular edges, or has different colors, or it can be a fast-growing pink-red lump. A skin cancer melanoma sows out, so immediate treatment is necessary.

*Image source : Bicycling

References :

1. National Cancer Institute
2. Euromelanoma
3. American Cancer Society