SKIN CANCER

By Dr. Arunee Siripunvarapon

What is skin cancer?

Skin cancer happens when normal cells in the skin change into abnormal cells and grow out of control. It is the most common cancer in the US and an estimated 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. Skin cancer has a lower incidence in the Philippines compared to western populations but skin cancer can affect anyone, regardless of skin color.In patients with skin of color, such as Filipinos, it is often diagnosed in its advanced stages, when it’s more difficult to treat.

 

What are the types of skin cancer?

There are 2 main types of skin cancer – nonmelanoma skin cancer and melanoma. The 2 most common types of nonmelanoma skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). BCC and SCC are also the 2 most common skin cancers found in Filipinos.

What are the symptoms of skin cancer?

The symptoms of skin cancer depend on the type of skin cancer. 

Non-melanoma skin cancer can occur anywhere on the skin, but is often on the head, face, neck, back of the hands, arms, and legs. This is because those body parts are most exposed to the sun’s rays.

Basal cell carcinoma may appear on the skin as:

• • • a sore that doesn’t heal or comes back after healing
    • pale white or yellow flat areas that look like scars
    • raised and scaly red patches
    • small, smooth and shiny lumps that are pearly white, pink or red
    • a pink growth with raised edges and indents in the center
    • a sore that bleeds

Squamous cell carcinoma may appear on the skin as:

• • • a sore that doesn’t heal or comes back after healing
    • rough or scaly red patches with irregular borders
    • raised lumps that indent in the center
    • a growth that looks like a wart
    • a sore that is crusty or bleeds easily
    • can occur on the skin of scars, ulcers and burns

Melanoma can occur anywhere on the skin, including the back and other hard-to-see areas. It can also occur on the nails and the skin lining the mouth, nose, and genitals. Among Filipinos, melanomas often occur at the sole of the feet. It often presents as a new or changing mole that can bleed, or become swollen, red or crusty. Melanoma has features that make it different from normal moles and is easily remembered by thinking of the letters A, B, C, D, and E.

• • • Asymmetry – One half can look different than the other half.
    • Border – It can have a jagged or uneven edge.
    • Color – It can have different colors.
    • Diameter – It is larger than the eraser on the end of a pencil.
    • Evolution – Its size, color, or shape can change over time.

1.What are the risk factors for skin cancer?

Skin cancer is often caused by sun exposure and sunburn. In fact, the damaging effects of the sun build up over time. Increasing intermittent sun exposure in childhood and during one’s lifetime is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Even one blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence can nearly double a person’s chance of developing melanoma.Risk factors for all types of skin cancer include skin that burns easily; blond or red hair; repeated excessive sun exposure, including sunburns; tanning bed use; a weakened immune system; and a history of skin cancer.

How is skin cancer treated?

If your dermatologist suspects you have skin cancer, you will have a biopsy where he/she will take a small sample of the abnormal area or remove the whole abnormal area. Then a dermatopathologist will look at the skin cells under a microscope to check for cancer. If the results are positive for skin cancer, you will have one or more of the following treatments: surgery, topical medications, electrodessication and curettage, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation or chemotherapy. If skin cancer is caught early, surgery is often curative.

2.How do you prevent skin cancer?

You can help prevent skin cancer by protecting your skin from the sun’s rays every day, even on a cloudy day. To reduce the chances of getting skin cancer, you can:

• • • Avoid going out in the middle of the day from 10am to 3pm
    • Stay in the shade
    • Use an umbrella
    • Wear broad spectrum sunscreen and reapply every 2-4 hours
    • Wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt or long pants, sunglasses
    • Do not use tanning beds

Some people are at higher risk for skin cancer than others. You might be at higher risk if you have a lighter skin type, have a personal history of skin cancer, or family members who have had melanoma. In this case, your dermatologist might recommend that you perform a self skin check at home every month as well as getting a full body skin examination with a dermatologist once a year. If you notice any new growths in the skin that itch or bleed or a sore that doesn’t heal, it is recommended that you seek consult with a Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) board-certified dermatologist.

Schedule an appointment and have your skin checked by CMI’s board-certified dermatologists. Contact us at 02. 8812. 1CMI | 02. 8816 .1035 – 36 or email us at experience@cminternationale.com

Source:

1. 1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2019. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2019.
   2. Philippine Dermatological Society Health Information System.
   3. Lin JS, Eder M, Weinmann S. Behavioral counseling to prevent skin cancer: asystematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med.2011 Feb 1;154(3):190-201. Review.
   4. Dennis, Leslie K. et al. “Sunburns and Risk of Cutaneous Melanoma, Does Age Matter: A Comprehensive MetaAnalysis.” Annals of epidemiology 18.8 (2008): 614–627.