Fast Facts About Skin Cancer

• Skin cancer and melanoma account for about 50% of all types of cancers diagnosed combined.
• Skin cancer is one of the more preventable types of cancer.
• More than 90% of skin cancer is causes by excessive exposure to the sun.
• Each hour, 1 person dies from skin cancer.

What is Melanomia?

Answer: Melanoma is a type of skin cancer and is considered to be most dangerous form of the disease. Although less commonly diagnosed than other types of skin cancer, melanoma accounts for over 75% of skin cancer deaths.

Melanoma is treatable when detected early. Moles or other spots on the skin should be self examined each month. Look for any changes in the existing areas and look for new moles.

When doing a self examination, you need to look at all areas of the body. It helps to have a mirror to view all parts of the body. Look for any changes to color, shape, and size to any freckle, mole, blemish or reddened areas. It is helpful to know the ABC’s of skin cancer.

Sometimes these areas may be itchy, scaly, or even have a crusty appearance. If bleeding or oozing comes from a mole or spot, it is imperative that it be examined by a physician. This is often indicative of advanced melanoma and needs to be evaluated.

Sometimes, it is difficult to discern between an ordinary mole and a melanoma. If you have any doubt, it is important to have it checked out by a physician. Skin should be examined for any suspicious areas by a physician on a yearly basis, if skin cancer has never been diagnosed.

If you want to catch melanoma before it catches you, you need to bone up on the alphabet. Dermatologists made watching for skin cancer as simple as A-B-C.

The ABC’s of Early Detection

Skin cancers often develop in unusual looking moles or skin lesions. Only a biopsy can determine for sure whether the spot is skin cancer. However, since most moles are benign, it can be hard for people to know which ones should be seen by a physician.

Twenty-five years ago, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center developed an easy-to-use mnemonic to help patients and doctors remember the early warning signs of melanoma. They called it the ABCD system:
A stands for asymmetry. If you draw an imaginary line through the center of a mole, the two halves will look different in shape, color or both.

B is for border. Look for edges that are uneven, scalloped or blurry.

C is for color. A normal mole is one color throughout. Melanomas may contain different colors or different shades of a color.

D stands for diameter. Most melanomas are ¼ inch (roughly the size of a pencil eraser) or larger.

Dermatologist, David Polsky, M.D., Ph.D., says in 2004, researchers looked at skin cancer data to see how well the ABCD system was working for early detection of melanomas. The investigators found that some skin cancers didn’t quite fit the ABCD system, so Polsky suggested adding a fifth letter:

E stands for evolving. The additional letter highlights the need to look for moles or skin lesions that are changing over time, whether in size, color, elevation, or is developing new symptoms, like bleeding, crusting or itching.

Melanoma can also develop in areas that don’t normally get sun, so it’s important to check all areas of the body. You can use a mirror or partner to see the back and other hidden areas of the body. Don’t forget to check the tips of the ears and between the toes.

This information brought to you by: www.wtvq.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 5:09 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.