Health Happening
The "No-Brainers" for Physical and Mental Health:
(2) ELIMINATE
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. and can occur anywhere on the body, but most commonly occurs in skin often exposed to sunlight. E.g. the face, neck, and hands. It especially occurs in fair-skinned and fair-haired people, those who had freckles as a child and those who have blue eyes.
Flat squamous cells form the outermost layer of the epidermis. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a.k.a. "rat-bite" tumor, is diagnosed when these cells become abnormal and grow out of control. SCC sometimes develops from a precancerous skin growth called an actinic keratosis. SCC is usually seen as scaly red patches or open sores, which may crust and bleed. Characteristically it looks elevated with a central hole. Allowed to grow, it can be fatal.
Bowens disease is a form of squamous cell cancer in situ.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. and the most common skin cancer. BCC is usually benign i.e. a relatively harmless skin cancer. Round basal cells reside under the squamous cells. Typically looks like a red patch, scar, shiny bump, pink growth or an open sore, which can bleed, ooze or crust. Rarely spreads or metastasizes, but should not be ignored since it is more easily treated whilst small.
Melanoma is a skin cancer involving the uncontrolled growth of melanocytes (cells In the lower epidermis of the skin, that produce melanin) - the pigment that gives skin its color, made darker when exposure to the sun triggers melanocytes to make more melanin pigment to absorb UV rays to protect the skin. The difference between melanoma in situ and invasive melanoma is the extent of its growth.
Melanoma begins in the skin's outer layer, called the epidermis, occurring in such as back, neck, arms, legs, scalp, face, soles of feet and palms. Melanoma can also occur in other areas of the body, such as the mucous membranes (inside mouth, nose, vagina, anus), and eyes (called uveal melanoma), and just about anywhere in the body if it becomes invasive. In initial stage 0 melanoma is in the epidermis (thin top layer) of skin and stays in situ.
Stages 1 - 4 are called invasive melanoma, with each stage going deeper. At stage 3, it has penetrated the basement membrane to enter the lower level of skin, called the dermis. With access to lymph tissue, blood vessels and nerves, the melanoma cells can travel to body organs, such as liver or lungs, distant lymph nodes, and the central nervous system, at which point it is defined as stage 4 / metastatic melanoma. Catching melanoma in its early stages is crucial, since the 5 year survival rates are around 99% for stages 0,1, and 2 but drop dramatically to ~75% for stage 3 and ~35% for stage 4
DNA in melanin-producing cells becomes damaged, which if not repaired by the immune system, causes cells to multiply out of control forming malignant tumors. Study in 2020 reported >90% of melanoma cases in the United States are attributable to UV radiation, affected by UV index and geographical location. UV radiation from tanning beds can also induce DNA damage. Non-UV-mediated melanoma is less common and can occur in sun-protected sites, such as the soles of the feet or in nasal mucous membranes. Existing moles are responsible for only 29% of melonoma origin, while 71% begin in new spots. PubMed
The sun can damage DNA in skin cells, which if not repaired by the immune system, can cause skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. Curable if detected early, but each year in the U.S. ~8,000 people die of this type of cancer (2023), the most fatal of cutaneous cancers. Here's the interesting fact though - a significant percentage of melanoma, sometimes aggressive, is not related to UV radiation, and can even occur in places where the sun doesn't shine.
Melanomas are not always dark colored. Rarely, they can be pink or skin-colored. Watch out for a spot on the skin that looks different to other spots - the "ABCDE" signs, which may indicate melanoma, but not all have to be present:
In uveal melanoma - the role of ultraviolet (UV) light is more controversial, but likely contributes to at least a subset of cases
Cause of DNA damage is not usually UV light. What is causing the damage is still under investigation - could be related to trauma.
Mucosal melanomas. Occur on mucus membranes on cavities exposed to the outside of the body, inside the nose, mouth, rectum, eyelids, and vagina. These melanomas are not caused by direct UV exposure.
Acral (means extremity) lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is a subtype of cutaneous melanoma (lentiginous means the melanoma spot is darker than the skin surrounding it and has a sharp border presenting a stark contrast to the lighter skin around it). ALM most commonly occurs on palms or soles of feet, and can also occur under the finger or toenails (called subungual AM), in which discoloration (general, spots or lines) extends to the cuticle and can cause the nail to crack or break in its advanced stage. ALM may stem from physical stress / injury, suggested by its propensity for the bottom of the feet, which undergo pressure from weight or tight shoes or wearing high heels. PubMed Subungual hematomas are when an injury causes blood to be trapped under the nail and looks different to subungual melatoma in that it looks more like a dark smudge or bruise under the nail. ALM represents only 2-3% of melanomas in Western populations, but is the most common type of melanoma in non-Caucasians with darker skin (namely those of Hispanic, African, or Asian heritage). In Asian countries such as Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore, AM has been reported to account for up to 58% of all melanomas. PubMed
Stage 4 Melanoma
