Skin Cancer Treatments

Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer, surpassing in frequency lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Although it is the most common form of cancer, it is less frequently fatal than those and many other cancers, because the tumors it produces tend to be visible. This often leads to the cancer being spotted in the early stages before it can metastasize. If it goes ignored, however, skin cancer can be deadly.

There are many different types of skin cancer, some of them more dangerous than others. The three most common types are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type and tends to appear in sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face. It is the kind least likely to metastasize and rarely causes death. Basal cell carcinoma can be effectively treated with surgery and radiation.

Squamous cell carcinoma is less common than basal cell, although still fairly common compared to other cancers. It is more prone to metastasizing than basal cell carcinoma, but the rate is still very low. The risk is greater when it is located on the ear or lip, and in patients with weak immune systems. Generally squamous cell carcinoma is treatable through the same means as basal cell carcinoma. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several clinics which offer melanoma treatment options to thousands of patients. Some of the typical options which they provide include the following:

Mohs Surgery

This type of melanoma treatment option is used to help cure lentigo maligna that are found in the patients neck and head as long as it has not yet spread to other areas of the body. The surgical process involves removing the cancer tissue layer by layer while minimizing the removal of other healthy tissues of the skin before finally removing the entire tumor. Every layer of skin that is removed is stained with immunohistochemical staining which helps the surgeon visualize the cancer cells. Most of the time, the removed tissue is examined under a microscope by a Mohs surgeon for confirmation that the entire cancer tissue has indeed been removed. Read the rest of this entry »

It is quite common for skin cancer to occur on the nose. This is because the nose is so easily and prominently exposed to the UV rays of the sun, hence a prime target for the disease skin cancer. Having the unsightly sores so prominently displayed can be a real issue for many people, if not all.

Like most cancer, the main cause of nose cancer is due to the excessive exposure to the sun. Our genetic material in skin cells can be altered by the suns UV rays, causing mutations. If you think sunlamps and tanning booths are safe then think again. They also generate UV rays that can seriously damage your skin and cause malignant cell mutations.

There are 3 most common types of skin cancers. They are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and the malignant melanoma. The most common and least deadly is basal cell carcinoma. Melanoma is linked to excessive sun tanning. In fact, it appears that 1 blistering excessive sunburn during a persons childhood may twice as likely to increase his or her chances of developing melanoma later in life. Read the rest of this entry »