Skin Cancer Symptoms Pain

Skin cancer symptoms pain - A melanoma is a form of skin cancer. In the beginning, it develops in the melanocytes or pigment cells. Here we speak of skin cancer and melanoma, in the singular. But it is important to know that different types exist. Moreover, even similar clinical pictures show specific characteristics from person to person.

Melanoma is very rare before puberty. Later on, it can appear at any age, but relatively speaking it occurs more frequently than the other cancers under the age of 60.

Types of melanomas
Melanoma literally means black growth. This type of cancer originates from the melanocytes or pigment cells. Normal melanocytes are spread over the entire skin. They also occur in groups and then form pigmentation spots, such as a birthmark.

Skin cancer occurs when pigment cells have been changed into cancer cells at one place in the skin. The tumor that develops then occurs as a pigment spot that enlarges or thickens, changes color, etc.

Where do melanomas occur?

In the beginning, a melanoma can arise from an existing mole or from a separate pigment cell on a healthy piece of skin, without an already existing pigment spot. A melanoma can develop anywhere in the skin. In women, they occur a little more often on the legs, in men on the trunk. Melanomas can also occur in hairy areas such as the scalp.

In exceptional cases, skin cancer develops in the mucous membrane of a certain organ. The mucous membrane is a thin layer of tissue that covers hollow organs inside. Such mucosal melanomas can occur in the mouth, nose and pharynx, vagina and anus. The melanoma also occurs in the mucous membrane of the eyelids and in the eye itself.



Metastases of skin cancer

As with many other types of cancer, skin cancer has a risk of metastases. Through the lymph, tumor cells can end up in the lymph nodes in the neck, in the armpit or in the groin (in function of the location of the tumor), and grow into gland metastases there.

In skin cancer, tumor cells can also spread via the blood to other places in the body, for example to the lungs, the liver, another place on the skin or the brain. Nevertheless, the metastases of a melanoma always first overrun the regional lymph nodes before they affect other organs remotely via the bloodstream.

Skin cancer (melanoma) symptoms pain

A melanoma or skin cancer can develop on the "gift" skin, without existing pigmentation spots, or on an existing birthmark. Every appearance/change of a pigment spot in an adult should ring the alarm bell. Especially when the following symptoms of a melanoma are observed, which are summarized by the ABCDE rule :

• Asymmetry: an asymmetrical shape, irregular in size and/or thickness;
• Borders: the contours of the stain are/become irregular, in one or several places;
• Color: first often very dark, then different colors mixed together (light or dark brown, red, bluish, black, ...);
• Diameter: a diameter larger than 5-6 mm;
• Evolution: the injury changes appearance, size, color, thickness.

Symptoms of skin cancer that may occur later are:

• bleeding;
• itching;
• ulceration with scabs.

Have your pigment spots checked

Not all melanomas are dark colored. Sometimes malignant pigment cells can no longer form a pigment. Such melanomas are called " amelanotic ". Because they lack the usual characteristics of melanoma, they look deceptively benign.

If a patient with one or more of these symptoms comes to a GP and suspects that there is melanoma or skin cancer, the patient is referred to the specialist, usually a skin doctor, sometimes a surgeon.

*Image source : Wikimedia Commons

References :

1. National Cancer Institute
2. Stichting tegen Kanker
3. American Cancer Society