Moles & Skin Cancer
Although it is rarely deadly, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed and treated in the United States. In 2000, more than one million Americans were diagnosed with skin cancer, and the rates of melanoma skin cancer diagnoses and deaths are increasing faster than those of any other skin cancer.
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Significance
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Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in all people, regardless of age, gender, or race. Skin cancer is a group of three related diseases, two of which are nearly 100% curable.
Types
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The most common type of skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma. Over 90 percent of skin cancers are basal cell cancers. This type of cancer may look like existing moles on the skin, and it grows slowly and can take years to fully develop.
Squamous cell carcinomas may grow from existing moles on the skin as a result of damage from the sun. More men than women are diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma.
Melanoma is the deadliest of the three types of skin cancer and results from the growth of abnormal moles.
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Time Frame
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Skin cancers usually occur in adults over the age of 20, and require a time period of months to decades to fully develop into cancer. Some skin cancers involve existing moles and are slower to develop than cancers that are new growths on the skin.
Identification
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Moles that change over time are a primary feature of skin cancer. As established by the American Cancer Society, the qualities of a mole that could become cancerous make the acronym "ABCD," which stands for Asymmetry, Border, Color and Diameter.
"Asymmetry" means that one half of the mole does not match the other half. "Border" means an irregular or non-circular shape of a mole. "Color" means the mole has multiple colors or is very dark compared to other moles on the body. "Diameter" can mean an increase in the size of the mole or a large existing mole.
Effects
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Moles suspected of being skin cancer may require biopsy or removal by a doctor or dermatologist. Removal of a mole may result in scarring of the skin or more pronounced disfigurement if the mole is near the eyes, lips or nose. Basal cell carcinomas are usually treated by surgical removal. Squamous cell carcinomas may require chemotherapy or radiation, which has significant side effects on the body, such as weight loss, hair loss, and immune dysfunction. Melanoma is usually treated with surgery which may be done in combination with radiation or chemotherapy.
Prevention/Solution
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The primary method of preventing skin cancer is to limit exposure to the sun as much as possible. If you do need to be outside, using sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, and not being outdoors between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. can decrease the amount of exposure. Another way to prevent cancer is to regularly check your skin for new moles or changes in old ones. An annual screening by a dermatologist can check hard-to-see areas and will include a full body exam from the scalp to the buttocks to the spaces between the toes.
Theories/Speculation
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Some environmental scientists believe that the increase in skin cancer rates is due to the depletion of the ozone layer, which allows more ultraviolet rays into the atmosphere and results in more damage to the skin. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, there may be an association between sunburns during childhood and developing melanoma in adulthood.
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