Transcript These account for more than 99% of all skin cancers

Skin Cancer
Introduction
• All life on Earth depends on the energy from the Sun. It is this
energy that allows plants to produce glucose, but it is also this
energy, in the form of ultraviolet (UV) photons, that can
damage the DNA in your cells and cause skin cancer. Did you
know that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in
the United States? It is estimated that there are more than one
million new cases of skin cancer in the United States each
year. The incidence of skin cancer has been on the rise for the
last few decades, even in young adults. Long-term exposure
to ultraviolet rays increases the risk for developing skin
cancer. In fact, a woman or man who uses a tanning bed more
than once a month is 55% more likely to develop melanoma,
the deadliest form of skin cancer. The good news is that skin
cancer can be prevented and is highly treatable when caught
early.
Objectives (Today I will…)
• Determine the precautions you can take to
protect yourself from skin cancer
• Investigate your risk factors for skin cancer
• Learn how to do a self-examination for
suspicious moles
Real World Application
• Melanoma video
2 Main Types of Skin Cancer
• Basal and Squamous Cell
Carcinoma
• Melanoma
These account for more than 99% of all skin
cancers.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
• Non-melanoma skin cancer
• Small, fleshy bump or nodule
on the head, neck, or hands
• Accounts for more than 90
percent of all skin cancers in
the United States
• Usually treated
successfully—95%
(American Academy of Dermatology)
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Non-melanoma carcinoma
• May appear as nodules, or
as red, rough/scaly/crusted
patches of skin
• Usually treated
successfully—95% (American
Academy of Dermatology)
• Second most common skin
cancer found in Caucasians
Basal/Squamous Cell Carcinomas:
Who is at Risk ?
• Light hair
• light eyes
• fair
complexions
• Do not tan
easily
Melanoma
• AKA: cutaneous melanoma
or malignant melanoma
• Cancer cells form from the
melanocytes
• ~9% of all skin cancers, but
has the highest death rate
*75 percent of all deaths from skin
cancer
Who is at Risk?
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Blond or red hair
Blue eyes
Fair complexion
Family history of melanoma
Many ordinary moles (more than 50)
Many freckles
Immunosuppressive disorder
Sun exposure
Inability to tan
Other Factors
• Heredity
• Occupational exposure to coal tar, pitch,
creosote, arsenic compounds, or radium.
• Elevation - ultraviolet light is stronger as
elevation increases
• Latitude - the rays of the sun are
strongest near the equator.
• Cloud cover - places with regular cloud
cover may actually reduce UV
Controllable Risk Factors
• Excessive Tanning
• Not using Sunscreen (or other UV blocking
methods)
How do you know?
Is it a mole or melanoma?
• Use the ABCDE rule
– A = asymmetry
– B = borders
– C = color variation
– D = diameter
– E = evolving
(changing)
Things to look for
• A=Asymmetry (the left side of the lesion is
unlike the right side)
Things to look for
• B=Border Irregularity (the lesion has a
scalloped or poorly defined border)
Things to look for
• C=Color Variation (not all parts of the
lesion are the same color;
within the lesion may be patches of tan,
brown, black, pink, white or blue)
Things to look for
• D=Diameter (while melanomas are usually
greater than 6mm in diameter when
diagnosed, they can be smaller. If you
notice a mole different from others, or
which changes, itches or bleeds even if it
is smaller than 6mm, you should see a
dermatologist)
Common Items That are 6mm in
Diameter
Things to look for
• E=Evolving
(Has the mole or skin
lesion changed color,
size or shape? Does
it looks different than
the others?)
Dan’s Story
• Dan’s Story – “If only he had known”
Homework
• Complete the personal risk assessment
• Due Monday March 23rd
References
• Different Types Of Skin Cancer. In: Squidoo [discussion
list on the Internet]. 2010; [cited 2010 July 13]. Available
from: http://www.squidoo.com/differenttypesofskincancer
• Skin Cancer. [discussion list on the Internet]. [University
of Maryland Medicine]; 2003 May 16; [cited 2010 July
12]. Available from:
http://www.umm.edu/skincancer/index.htm
• The ABCDEs of moles and melanomas. In:
Cancernetwork.com [discussion list on the Internet].
[UBM Medica]; 2010 Mar. 9; [cited 2010 July 13].
Available from: http://www.cancernetwork.com/cancermanagement-12/coloratlas1/article/10165/1535070