Signs of Skin Cancer Lesions
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Basal cell carcinoma is the most frequently occurring. But, melanoma, the least common skin cancer, is the most dangerous. Each form of skin cancer has specific warning signs and types of skin lesions associated with it.
Melanoma
Signs of melanoma are found in atypical moles, or dysplastic nevi. Moles that may indicate melanoma can display asymmetrical shape and an irregular or poorly defined border. The color is not solid but varied, and can include shades of tan, brown or black. The diameter can be over 6mm with the central portion of mole is flat or slightly raised.
Even if a mole is a dysplastic nevi, it may or may not be melanoma, and a dermatologist must be the one to make the diagnosis. A dermatologist should be consulted immediately if there is any itching, bleeding, pain, swelling, crusting or oozing associated with an atypical mole.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Unlike melanoma, basal cell carcinoma does not manifest itself in existing moles, but in new growths or sores. Warning signs include:
- An open sore that does not heal for several weeks, and/or bleeds, crusts or oozes.
- A persistent reddish patch on the chest, shoulder or extremities that may itch or hurt.
- A growth that resembles a mole, but is shiny, translucent and raised. It may be pink, red, brown or black.
- A pink growth that has a crusted indentation in the middle and a raised, rolled border.
- A patch of skin that resembles a scar;light-colored, waxy, a bit shiny and the skin appears taut. It may have a very poorly defined border.
Squamous Cell Tumors
Squamous cell carcinomas are usually localized, affecting only the area of the skin that shows a growth that resembles a wart, a scaly red patch with irregular borders that does not go away, an open sore that does not heal or a raised growth with a central indentation. All of the lesions listed may crust, bleed or ulcerate.
Treatment and Prognosis
As with all cancers, early detection is key, and cancer may be cured by simply excising the mole and some of the surrounding skin. Melanoma is the most dangerous of the skin cancers, and if it metastasizes to other parts of the body, it is difficult to treat. Beyond surgery, treatment for skin cancers can include chemotherapy, immunotherapy and gene therapy.
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