Skin cancer detection
Skin
cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. If you know
what to look for, you can spot warning signs of skin cancer early.
Finding it early, when it’s small and has not spread, makes skin
cancer much easier to treat.
There
are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous
cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Because each has many different
appearances, it is important to know the early warning signs.
Use
the “ABCDE rule” to look for some of the common signs of
melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer:
- Asymmetry: One part of a mole or birthmark doesn’t match the other.
- Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
- Color: The color is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
- Diameter: The spot is larger than ¼ inch across – about the size of a pencil eraser.
- Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.
Basal
and squamous cell skin
cancers are not as dangerous as melanoma, but they are much more
common.
Basal
cell carcinomas, or cancers, usually grow on areas that get the most
sun, such as the face, head, and neck. But they can show up anywhere.
Look for:
- Flat, firm, pale or yellow areas, similar to a scar
- Raised reddish patches that might be itchy
- Small, pink or red, translucent, shiny, pearly bumps, which might have blue, brown, or black areas
- Pink growths with raised edges and a lower area in their center, which might contain abnormal blood vessels spreading out like the spokes of a tire
- Open sores (which may have oozing or crusted areas) that don’t heal, or that heal and then come back
Squamous
cell carcinomas,
or cancers, also tend to grow on areas that get sun, such as the
face, ear, neck, lip, and hands. But they can also show up anywhere.
Look for:
- Rough or scaly red patches, which might crust or bleed
- Raised growths or lumps, sometimes with a lower area in the center
- Open sores (which may have oozing or crusted areas) that don’t heal, or that heal and then come back
- Wart-like growths
Not
all skin cancers look like these descriptions, though, do not
ignore a suspicious spot simply because it does not hurt. Skin
cancers may be painless, but dangerous all the same. If you notice
one or more of the warning signs, see a doctor right away, preferably
one who specializes in diseases of the skin.