Basal Cell Carcinoma Case Study

Skin cancer is formed in multiple stages. In the first stage of skin cancer, the cancerous cells are in the top layer of the skin but haven’t begun to spread (Cancer). The cells have grown deeper but have not made their way to

Any type of change size, color, or shape of a mole is an important warning sign. For weeks or months, watch the changes that occur. The ABCDE rule is a helpful rule to estimate skin changes. A is asymmetry. If one half of a mole does not match the other have there is no symmetry. B is border irregularity. Jagged, uneven, or blurred edges of a mole should catch your attention. C is color. Changes in the mole color, particularly from the edge of the mole to the middle. D is for the diameter. If the mole is larger than 6mm the mole should be of concern. E is evolution. Changes in the surface size and shape, as well as itching or tenderness should be observed. Often time’s melanoma is developed in unmarked skin, but can also develop in existing moles or birthmarks (“Melanoma and Skin Cancer Symptoms”). Skin examinations should be an often routine provided by a doctor. Any notice of suspicious signs, see a health care provider as quick as possible. Examinations by a dermatologist are a potential way to see if you have developed skin cancer. If during the examination skin cancer is suspected a biopsy will probably be the next process (Knight).

Although there are several types of skin cancer, the most aggressive form is melanoma. This cancer of the skin involves mass replication of the pigment producing melanocyte cells, which are located in the epidermis, below the basal layer. There are several factors involved with the onset of melanoma including, exposure to ultraviolet rays, genetic predisposition, numerous nevi (moles), immunosuppression, and environmental exposure to carcinogens.

Other factors that a person experiencing melanoma should pay attention to is if this condition is hereditary, having many moles over the number of 50, a frail immune system, and light pigmented skin. To discover if you have melanoma there are a series of skin test that can be taken before diagnosis. Diagnosing melanoma consists of taking biopsies of the skins that are among three different types; punch, excisional, and incisional. All three of these including removing parts of the skin and the mole for an analysis. Like most cancer, it comes in stages of severity; four being the most severe. Melanoma occurs through four stages and the final stages implies that the melanoma has reached the internal organs such as the lungs or the liver.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common morphology accounting for over 2/3 of cancers (Cancer, 2014). The Federation of International Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) emphasize the importance of diagnosis at an early stage to minimise the effect on the patient. In order to be seen in an image, tumours must be at least stage IB and above.

It is believed that the amount of exposure of the skin to the sun before the age of 20 is actually the determining risk factor for melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer and tends to only spread locally. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common skin cancer, and it can spread to other parts of the body, although not as commonly as melanoma. The risk of getting basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma is determined by a person 's lifetime exposure to UV radiation and the person 's pigment protection.

Basal Cell carcinoma is one of the most frequently occurring forms of cancer. Approximately 2.6 million cases of Basal Cell cancer are diagnosed yearly in the United States. There are 4 warning signs of BBC including: open sore, shiny bump, pink growth, or red patch. BBC occurs most often in areas that are most exposed to the sun such as, face, neck, scalp, shoulders, and back. This disease can also create tumors on many parts of the body. People at high risks are those that have red or blonde hair, and blue or green eyes. This is due to more light hitting skin through a lighter color such as blonde. The elderly tend to have a higher risk of basal Cell due to a weaker skin fragment from aging. But recently most diagnoses have been patients between the ages of 20-40, most being positioned for work in the outdoors.

You needn't bother with any x-beams or blood tests to discover skin tumor early – simply your eyes and a mirror. On the off chance that you have skin tumor, thinking that its initial is the most ideal approach to ensure it can be treated with achievement.

The patient had facial and acral lesions which biopsy confirmed trichilemmomas and acral keratosis. Thyroid and breast sonography showed multiple benign nodules which was

“Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, the global cancer incidence has increased from 12.7 million in 2008 to 14.1 million in 2012, and the expected trend is an increase in new cases to close to 25 million over the next two decades” (De Mello, Tavares, Mountzios). Now, in 2016, the trend is continuing to climb. With that number of people being diagnosed with cancer, it’s just common sense that we need more and more people to help them fight the cancer. Those who are diagnosed are dependent on oncologists. The need for oncologists is higher than ever and is continuing to increase each year. This paper will explain what oncology is, what several of the different types of oncologists, and the education requirements to become a certified oncologist.

Everyday, at one point or time, we see the Sun. “The Sun is the brightest object in the sky, and without it, we would not be alive. The Sun gives off light and heat, and we need both to make the Earth a warm, comfortable place to live”(Hudson). All the time, rays and particles have light are entering the Earth’s atmosphere and bouncing off of and hitting objects all around us. Even though we need the Sun’s light and heat, too much of it is bad for our body. Severe light absorption can lead to skin cancer.

Melanoma is a serious, and at times fatal, type of skin cancer that results from unrepaired and damaged DNA to the skin from intense exposure to ultraviolet rays. Subsequently, this damage to the DNA leads to mutations that result in unmonitored and unrestricted cell growth that creates malignant tumors. These tumors then transform normal and healthy melanocyte skin cells to melanoma cell and produce. While melanoma cells might appear benign at the early stages, as it eventually spreads throughout an individual’s body and onto lymph nodes it becomes invasive and fatal. Thus, to be able to catch melanoma at its early stages is a necessity to prevent invasive spreading throughout the body, allowing the patient to be treated quickly.

My decision to advance my education and professional goals, following a nursing career, which spanned over thirty-five years, developed into a desire to achieve my Master of Communication degree, with a concentration in Health Communication. A major motivator for this career decision, evolved from a personal battle with Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer over 6 years ago. While coping with skin cancer, I felt the need to fight back against this disease by helping others recognize early signs of skin cancer, before it proliferates in advanced stages. I began my journey by volunteering with others in skin cancer fund raisers, and attended the National Volunteer’s Fund Raising, Advocacy, Awareness, and Support Training weekend, in Rosemont, Ill., in 2008, for the Melanoma Research Foundation. A large team of researchers, dermatologists, oncologists, melanoma survivors, and family

According to The American Cancer Society, estimates for melanoma in the United States in 2017 are: about 87,110 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 52,170 in men and 34,940 in women). About 9,730 people are expected to die of melanoma (about 6,380 men and 3,350 women). The rates of melanoma have been rising for the last 30 years (“Key Statistics in Melanoma Skin Cancer”, 2016).

3. Unlike basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas can metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body.