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Argumentative Essay On Skin Cancer

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According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common cancer, accounting for about half of all cancers in the United States. More than 3 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States alone this year (Skin Cancer Foundation). Basal-cell carcinomas constitute approximately 90 percent of all non-melanoma skin cancers, making it the most common cancer in humans. Basal-cell carcinomas or BCCs are abnormal, uncontrolled growths or lesions that arise in the skin’s basal cells, which line the deepest layer of the epidermis. This type of cancer most often occurs in skin that is frequently exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet radiation such as the face, ears, neck and limbs (Rubin et al.). As ultraviolet rays …show more content…

Only in exceedingly rare cases can it spread to other parts of the body and become life-threatening. However, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. If not treated properly it can be disfiguring. There are a handful of methods used to treat basal-cell carcinomas with the best one depending on the type, location, and severity of the cancer. Farther developed cancers often require surgical excision or a special surgical technique known as Mohs surgery. Other smaller cancers involve freezing the cancer or scraping the surface of the cancer and searing the base of with an electric needle. Early cancers can be cured with topical treatments such as creams or ointments (Mayo …show more content…

Even though BCC is genetically different from other types of cancers due to its inability to metastasize, the identification of these new drivers can offer a starting point for other researchers to investigate the potential drivers in other forms of cancer that are more complex and have genomic instability. In some ways, BCC has already begun being compared to cancers such as colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. Preclinical studies demonstrated the antitumor activity of vismodegib in xenograph models of colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Similarly, phase 1 clinical trials in advanced BCC highlighted an objective response to vismodegib (De Smaele et al.). Due to vismodegib’s low toxicity and specificity for the Hh pathway, this drug has potential advantages compared with conventional chemotherapy, and may eventually be used in combination

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