Skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the United States, can be detected with a monthly self-examination as well as an annual visit to your doctor. When skin cancer is detected early, it is almost always curable.
There are three types of skin cancer, and all are visible if you know where to look. Melanoma, which is one of the major types of skin cancer, is the deadliest. After it has spread throughout the body, this disease is the most difficult to stop, which is why early detection and treatment of skin cancer are crucial. Skin cancer, in general, can be treated successfully in its early stages.
You may not notice minor changes right away, but you should keep an eye out for minor changes in freckles, birthmarks, and moles. These are familiar aspects of yourself, but anything that changes them will require your attention.
If a mole shape, edges, size, or color changes, it should be checked by a physician. For example, if the mole becomes larger than the size of a pencil eraser, or if its color changes from a solid brown to several shades of brown, these are both potential signs of skin cancer.
A mole border should be well-defined; if it is not, notify your doctor. Furthermore, any sore that refuses to heal or a mole that is rapidly growing in size should be tested right away. The stage of skin cancer determines its treatment.
How is skin cancer treated?
Skin cancer has stages ranging from stage 0 to stage IV. The highest the number, the more advanced the cancer is.
When the cancer is small and only located on the surface of your skin, a biopsy may be enough to remove all the cancer cells. Other commonly used skin cancer treatments, either alone or in combination, are:
Chemotherapy and immunotherapy
*Medications are used as chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. These can be applied directly to the skin (topical chemotherapy) if cancer is localized in your skin or are administered via pills or IV if cancer has spread elsewhere in your body....
*Immunotherapy kills cancer cells by utilizing your immune system.
Radiation therapy
*Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment in which high doses of radiation are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation is used in low doses in x-rays to see inside your body, as in x-rays of your teeth or broken bones.
*Cancer cells whose DNA has been irreparably damaged either stop dividing or die. When damaged cells die, the body breaks them down and removes them. It can take days or weeks of treatment to damage DNA enough for cancer cells to die.
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