What is Skin Cancer?

One of the popular forms of human cancer isskin cancer which is also known as skin neoplasia. The most common warning for skin cancer is the changes, growth, or sore on the skin that does not disappear or keeps recurring. The increasing cases lead to a rising public concern as over 1 million new cases occur yearly and still increasing. Three forms of skin cancer are: basal cell carcinoma (basal cell carcinoma epithelioma), squamous cell carcinoma (which is the first stage – actinic keratosis), and melanoma (the most dangerous). Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are the two most common forms of skin cancer usually referred to as non-melanoma skin cancers, the latter being less common. Non-melanoma skin cancers are generally curable. Melanoma is considered to be the most dangerous and serious form of skin cancer because it is most likely to spread or metastasize.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer. This form rarely metastasizes and almost never leads to fatality. Nevertheless, it damages the surrounding tissue of the affected part of the skin. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer. This explains why the greatest rates of skin cancer are found in Australia and Africa where relatively greater amount of UV rays is received. Ultraviolet radiation in tanning booths, popular among adolescents, may cause skin cancer. Therapeutic radiation from treatments of other health problems or cancers increases the risks of having skin cancer. Usually, even though skin protection should start at an early age, skin cancers appear after fifty years of age. People with lighter skin are more prone to skin cancer. Exposure to the sun, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, therapeutic radiation, age, and light skin color are risk factors involved in the development of basal cell carcinoma.