Skin Cancer Treatment

Actinic Keratosis

Understanding the Risks, Causes, and Prevention: Actinic keratosis (AK) is a prevalent precursor to skin cancer. Recognizing your risk factors and understanding the causes of AK can aid in its prevention. Awareness of these factors also facilitates early detection, when AK’s are highly treatable. Left untreated, they can progress to squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.

Factors that increase your risk include:

• History of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or indoor tanning, such as outdoor workers, individuals with bald scalps or thinning hair, and those with a history of sunburns.
• Geographic location: Living closer to the equator increases the likelihood of AK’s.
• Weakened immune system due to medical conditions or medications.
• Light skin: While AK’s can affect anyone, they are more prevalent in individuals with lighter skin tones.
• Age over 40: AK’s are most commonly found in individuals aged 40 and older.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Understanding the Risks, Causes, and Prevention: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) arises from damage and subsequent DNA changes in the basal cells of the skin’s outermost layer. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and indoor tanning is the primary cause of BCC and many other skin cancers.

Knowing the causes of BCC and the factors that increase your risk can aid in prevention or early detection, when treatment is most effective.

Factors that heighten your risk of BCC include:

• UV exposure from sunlight or indoor tanning.
• History of skin cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or melanoma.
• Age over 50: BCCs are most commonly diagnosed in individuals over 50 years old.
• Light skin: People with lighter skin tones are at greater risk.
• Male gender: Men are more predisposed to developing BCC.
• Chronic skin conditions, burns, scars, and ongoing skin inflammation.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Understanding the Risks, Causes, and Prevention: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin occurs due to DNA damage that triggers abnormal mutations in the squamous cells of the skin’s outer layer.

Recognizing the causes of this damage and the factors that heighten your risk of SCC can aid in early detection or prevention.

Factors that increase your risk of SCC include:

• Exposure to UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds without protection.
• Weakened immune system due to illness or specific immunosuppressive medications.
• History of other skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
• Age over 50: SCCs are most frequently diagnosed in individuals over 50 years old.
• Light skin: Individuals with lighter skin tones have an elevated risk of SCC.
• Gender: Men are more susceptible to developing SCC.
• Sun-sensitive conditions like xeroderma pigmentosum.
• Chronic skin conditions, burns, scars, and ongoing skin inflammation.
• Skin precancers, including actinic keratosis.

Melanoma

Understanding the Risks, Causes, and Prevention: Melanoma and other skin cancers stem from DNA mutations in skin cells that lead to uncontrolled cell growth. Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or tanning beds cause this DNA damage. While your immune system repairs some of it, lingering damage can accumulate over time, resulting in cancerous mutations. Several factors contribute to melanoma risk, including genetics (family history), skin type, hair color, freckling, and the number of moles on your body.

Knowing the causes of melanoma and assessing your risk can assist in prevention or early detection, when treatment is most effective.

Factors that increase your risk of melanoma include:

• Unprotected or excessive UV exposure from the sun or indoor tanning.
• Weakened immune system due to medical conditions or medications.
• Presence of numerous moles: Higher mole counts, especially large or atypical moles, elevate melanoma risk.
• Fair skin: Melanoma is more prevalent in individuals with fair skin, light eyes, and light or red hair.
• History of skin cancer: Previous melanoma or nonmelanoma skin cancers increase the likelihood of future melanoma.
• Genetic predisposition: Melanoma can run in families, with about one in ten patients having a family member affected by the disease.

Others statistics to consider are:

• Delayed treatment for stage I melanoma patients increases the risk of death from the disease: those treated 30 to 59 days after biopsy have a 5 percent higher risk, while those treated more than 119 days after biopsy face a 41 percent higher risk.
• Only 20 to 30 percent of melanomas originate from existing moles, with 70 to 80 percent developing on seemingly healthy skin.
• On average, an individual’s risk of melanoma doubles if they have experienced more than five sunburns.