Treating Skin Cancer

Discuss the different types of skin cancer, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment options and preventative measures.

Skin cancer is a very real and common health problem for Australians, with 2 in 3 developing this deadly disease by the age of 70 (Lynch, 2006). “Due to the Australian climate and lifestyle, as well as a predominantly fair skinned population, skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in Australia,” (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2000). For the most effective prevention against skin cancer, it is recommended that a combination of sun safety measures are met; slip, slop, slap, seek, slide (Slip on sun protective clothing, slop on water resistant SPF30+ sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, slide on sunglasses), (Preventing Skin Cancer, 2017). By simply reducing recreational sun exposure, the risk of developing melanoma –

Excision: surgically cuts out the skin cancer and a small amount of normal-looking skin. This normal-looking skin is called a margin.

Cancer is usually a terrifying word. Those who have never received a diagnosis of cancer, likely cannot fathom the anxiety such an event produces. Even forms of cancer that are highly treatable often bring about significant and immediate life changes for patients. Hopefully, the ideas from this article can help to demystify cancer, and make it somewhat easier to cope with the disease and its effects.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Consider that 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with high exposure to UV radiation from the sun (which means 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are preventable!) WebMD reports that Melanoma ( a severe type of skin cancer) often starts as a change in skin or a mole growth.

Skin cancer is an abnormal growth of cells, and there are three main types of skin cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and lastly malignant melanoma, the one that we are going to focus on. While it is not the most common type of skin cancer, that is basal cell carcinoma, it is the most dangerous/deadly.

If the cancer growth is small, your dermatologist may cut it out during an office visit. The area will be numbed first so you won't feel pain. The

Developing Personal Skills: it develops personal skills by informing the community of the risk regarding excess sun exposure and what the underlying facts are about skin cancer. The campaign shows ways on how to prevent skin cancer and what you should do in order of prevention. The campaign also shows representations of the appearance of the cancer and how it looks when it is removed as well as providing information on how the incidence of skin cancer within Australia is very high.

One of the leading causes of death in the United States is cancer. Staggering cases have been reported yearly. There have been over 3.3 million diagnoses of Non Melanoma skin cancer. Currently, it is estimated that one out of every five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. People in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day. The number of cases of skin cancer has increased steadily since the 1920s. Common types of skin cancer include: Basal cell carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma, and Malignant Melanoma. It’s imperative to stay educated about our health and take preventive measures to decrease the chances of developing skin cancer.

In order to detect skin cancer you have to see if there has been a change in your skin. Whether the mole has a distinctive color, blotches on the skin, an increase in

Melanoma, the last major type of skin cancer, is the most deadly. As a highly metastatic form of cancer, melanoma can quickly spread to different parts of the body if undetected and allowed to grow. These type of tumors grow in the melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis and can grow on both sun-exposed and unexposed areas of the skin. It is crucial to find and diagnose melanoma early - if detected it can be treated and cured, but if gone undetected, it is incredibly

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Skin cancer encompasses three types of cancers: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma—the most dangerous of the three. The underlying cause of all types of skin cancers is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light consists of three various types of UV rays including ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB), and ultraviolet C (UVC). Of the three types, UVA is most damaging to skin as it can damage connective tissue hence increasing the risk of skin cancer. UVB is responsible for helping to produce Vitamin D; however, it can still be damaging to the skin. While UVC is dangerous, the ozone absorbs it before it has a chance to reach the ground (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014).

Early detection and examinations are vital to prevent skin cancer. More people are concerned about skin cancer because it can lead to death. Routine full body skin examination at the Dermatologist office, will determine if there is a concern or not. If there is a concern, a routine biopsy will be performed and the tissue will be sent to a Pathologist to be examined under the microscope. If the pathology report comes back with a skin cancer, such as, Atypical, Basal-Cell Carcinoma, Squamous-Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma, it would need further attention. Typically, additional tissue removal would be needed, such as, an excision or Mohs Surgery to remove the skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the only form of cancer that is rapidly increasing each year in the United States, supported by the fact that "every 20 seconds someone is diagnosed with skin cancer, and one person dies nearly every hour" (Siegel, Victoria, P 117.) Skin cancer is growing and a multitude of people are constantly being diagnosed. It is the nurses' responsibility to inform their patients about skin cancer while they are in for a check up. Nurses spend more time with their patients than doctors' do, therefore they could educate them and look for possible skin lesions. In order to understand the severity of skin cancer, professors must educate nursing students on the causes, treatments and ways to detect and prevent skin cancer.

Thesis: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States but is highly curable if detected early and treated properly.