Dermatologists examine skin cancer cells under a microsope, looking for abnormalities.
More than 2 million skin cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the United States, reports the American Academy of Dermatology. Skin cancers form in the skin's outer layer, or epidermis. Ultraviolet radiation damages the DNA in skin cells, triggering mutations and leading to rapid growth of abnormal skin cells and tumor formation. It's important to know the early-warning signs of skin cancer. If diagnosed and treated early, the survival rate is almost 100 percent.
Skin Self-Exam
The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends performing monthly head-to-toe skin self-exams. Warning signs to watch for include changes in size or shape of existing moles, freckles or skin lesions and unusual bleeding or itching. Look for new moles or lesions and note any sores that aren't healing. These are potential signs of skin cancers, which include basal cell carcinoma, melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Actinic Keratosis
Approximately 58 million Americans have actinic keratosis, or common precancerous skin lesions. Males have a higher risk of developing the lesions, as do fair-complected individuals with blond or red hair and blue, green or gray eyes. The rough, scaly lesions are found on sun-exposed areas of the skin, including the backs of the hand, bald scalp, face and lips. The lesions look like warts and may be pink, red, tan or flesh-colored.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Approximately 2.8 million Americans are diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma annually. It remains the most common type of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinomas look like flesh-colored growths; hard, flat sunken growths; open sores; red patches; scars or shiny pink or red bumps. The slow-growing lesions often are found on the arms, face, hands, neck and scalp but can occur anywhere, including the genital region. Basal cell carcinoma is rarely life-threatening.
Melanoma
The American Cancer Society estimates that diagnosed cases of melanoma would number 76,250 in 2012 in the United States. Melanoma is curable if treated in time; however, it remains the deadliest type of skin cancer. Melanomas often resemble moles and are black or brown in color, but can be blue, flesh-colored, pink, purple, red or white. Melanomas present with distinct characteristics and are often referred to as "ugly ducklings." Look for moles that are asymmetrical, have a notched or uneven border or are larger than 1/4 inch in diameter.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Approximately 700,000 people are diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma annually in the United States. The second-most common type of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinomas occur on the arm, bald scalp, ear, face or neck as well as inside the mouth and in the genital region. Reddish in color, squamous cell carcinomas look like hard, scaly patches, open sores or elevated or pearl-shaped growths. If left untreated, squamous cell carcinoma can grow down into the skin and metastasize, or spread, to other parts of the body.
Tags: squamous cell, cell carcinoma, skin cancer, cell carcinomas, look like
