What is skin cancer?
Skin cancer is a malignant cell proliferation (cancer) of skin cells.
Skin cancer types
Depending on the type of skin cell in which the proliferation of we will speak of:
- Basal cell carcinoma (the least dangerous form)
- Melanoma - starts from pigment cells.
- Squamous cell carcinoma - starts from keratinocytes.
Very rare types of skin cancer
- Keratoacanthoma: a squamous cell carcinoma-like tumor, which benign behavior - may disappear.
- Adnextumoren, starting from the skin appendages. Histologically, these tumors exhibit features of hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands; all of these tissue types are formed by keratinocytes in the epidermis with a special function.
- Merkel cell carcinoma. Merkel cells are pressure-sensitive cells in the hair follicle.
- Atypical fibroxanthoom.
- Sarcomas: tumors that start from connective tissue. These can be in the skin fibroblasts (dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (skin connective tissue cancer)), or blood vessels (angiosarcoma, such as Kaposi's sarcoma).
- Huidlymfomen: tumors originating from leukocytes (white blood cells) to the skin as a base (skin-homing). Within this group, the most common type is a T-cell lymphoma: mycosis fungoides.
- Also, in the skin (of course) to prevent metastases of internal tumors, such as breast cancer, or leukemia (leukemia cutis). In rare cases this may be the first symptom of the underlying cancer.
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| Skin cancer pictures |
Epidemiology
The first three types of skin cancer may be caused by any UV radiation. Risk factors for developing melanoma, intermittent (intermittent) exposure to the sun and burns from the sun. For prolonged exposure to the sun, in connection with the profession that you practice, this does not apply.
Skin cancer can also be caused by exposure to carcinogens such as benzene.
The chances of a cure at the most common, and in particular, the squamous cell carcinoma basal cell carcinoma, which almost never metastasize are beneficial in early detection and removal, but that with the (much rarer) is not melanoma. The melanoma is thus despite its relatively low incidence responsible for two thirds of the number of deaths from skin cancer.
The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma takes the last decades; in women younger than 40 years since the 70 possible even tripled. Where previously found only 13 per 100,000 women, these skin cancers in 2003 were set at 32 per 100,000 women. Moreover, there is a relationship between the socioeconomic status of a person and his or her risk of skin cancer.
The increase seems to be mainly due to a change in lifestyle and particularly to the sunbathe (there is recommended up to 15 minutes long to lie in the Sun). In particular, persons who in the past have had blisters due to sunburn turn out to have an increased risk of skin cancer. Continue walking people outside work, such as farmers and construction workers a significantly increases risk of skin cancer. More precisely this last group is not inclined to let the presence of skin cancer check.
Skin cancer diagnosis and detection
In the treatment of skin cancer, it is important a place to treat as early as possible, since even the chance of survival increases as well as the severity of the treatment decreases. The detection of skin cancer at an early stage is therefore of value. The most obvious method of detection is a regular inspection by a specialist physician. Thereby helping him or her several assistive technologies available. A technique which is used in melanoma skin cancer is the so-called "mole-mapping", in which is maintained by means of a photograph, the number of dark spots on the skin and is checked for a change. The development of an individual's place of predictive value, so making a (dermatoscopic) shot with a digital dermatoscope the doctor can help detect suspicious spots. In the detection of non-melanoma skin cancer, one can make use of fluorescence detection. It will be packaged into liposomes by means of 5-aminolevulinic acid in combination with a fluorescence detection system, detection of the suspect sites. This latter technology is more interesting, especially since non-melanoma skin cancer because of the inconspicuous color but is difficult to detect.
After a suspicious spot or a group of suspicious spots is detected, the doctor will make a diagnosis. In addition, this will normally be a (digital) dermoscope use. There are three different groups of criteria that will use the physician in the diagnosis of melanoma skin cancer, the ABCD rule, the Menzies method and the seven-point checklist. Also, in the diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer is a dermoscope indispensable, in which the doctor considering the importance of the blood vessels will have a preference for a polarized dermoscope. If a doctor is uncertain of a brown spot, he will cut it completely and sent for review to a pathology laboratory. At a place which has been suspected for a non-melanoma skin cancer, it is sufficient with a less invasive biopsy. In time, these invasive methods can be replaced by more modern technologies such as two-photon laser scanning fluorescence microscopy and optical coherence tomography.
Skin cancer treatment
The most commonly used treatments for skin cancer are:
- Topical cream with fluorouracil or imiquimod;
- Surgery (surgery), in particular, Mohs' surgery;
- Laser ablation;
- Freezing (cryosurgery);
- Burn (elektrodissecatie);
- Radiation (radiotherapy);
- Photodynamic therapy: In this technique, the cancer cells are first made sensitive to light, and then exposed so that the cancer cells die.
Which treatment is applied, is dependent on the location and size of the tumor and on the age and condition of the person from whom the tumor is detected.