Skin Cancer

Repeated overexposure to ultraviolet light to has been linked to the
development of certain types of skin cancer in humans. That’s why ultraviolet
light emission is carefully controlled in tanning equipment to minimize the risk
of overexposure and sunburn. Overexposure can damage normal skin cells and
cause dormant pre-cancer cells to divide uncontrollably, which can lead to skin
cancer 10 to 30 years after the overexposure occurred. However, research
indicates that ultraviolet light is but one of many factors that combine to
increase a person’s risks for skin cancer. Other factors include heredity, skin
type and nutrition.

Although many types of skin cancer exist, three types make up about 95
percent of all cases: Basal-cell carcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma and
malignant melanoma. “Carcinoma” is just another way of saying “cancer.”
Basal-cell and squamous-cell carcinoma, which are the most common, are
believed to be directly linked to ultraviolet light overexposure. Studies show that
they become more common among populations near the equator. Fortunately,
these cancers, which mostly affect sun-exposed areas of the body such as the
ears, face, hands and forearms, can easily be detected and treated. Note that
basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, affecting
anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million Americans each year, according to
unqualified estimates from different sources.

Both cancers, however, can recur, which is why people who have had them
must be particularly careful to prevent further overexposures. Let’s take a closer
look at the three most common types of skin cancer. Squamous-cell carcinoma
is generally a little less pleasant to look at. A doctor may tell you that these
occasionally “metastasize.” That means they can “spread” to other internal
organs that are not connected to the skin.

They can develop from burn scars, actinic keratoses (a precancerous portion
of skin that appears red, rough and scaly), and overexposure to x-rays. The
majority of squamous-cell carcinomas are caused by excessive overexposure to
ultraviolet light, and generally are found on sun-exposed areas. They also can be
caused to a lesser extent by chronic exposure to arsenic from drinking water,
insecticides, cigarette smoking, etc. Apart from UV exposure, squamous cell
carcinoma can develop internally in the bladder, esophagus, lungs, nasal
cavities, mouth, and other areas. It is interesting to note that one of the cures
for this problem is the same as one of the causes . . . x-rays. High power x-ray
treatment on the cancer site is effective 93 percent of the time.

Characteristics of Skin Cancer

Squamous-cell cancers are identified by areas of crusted skin near patches
of freckles. Some of the smaller ones can mimic warts. They can start out as a
bright white spot, be tender, itch, and hurt. As they begin to grow, they might
begin to look like a small wart. As they mature, these become open sores that
don’t heal well. They leak, they ooze and they crust. Sometimes they will heal
up and then re-open. Squamous cell carcinomas can be tan, blue, brown, black,
or deathly looking gray. It should be noted that although these have a strong
connection to excessive exposure to the sun, it is very rare that anyone would
ever die from a squamous cell carcinoma.

The next type of skin cancer you should be aware of is basal-cell carcinoma.
More people will get a basal-cell carcinoma than any other type of cancer. You
might be thinking to yourself as you read this, “I thought more people got lung
cancer more than any other cancer.” Actually more people will die from lung
cancer than any other type of cancer, but more people will get a basal cell more
than any other type. Basal-cell carcinomas have some connection to excessive
exposure to the sun; however, the nature of that connection is not well
understood. While most of these occur on sun-exposed areas of skin, large
numbers of basal-cell carcinomas still develop on areas of skin that are not
generally sun-exposed or exposed to any other kind of radiation.16 17 Doctors
think it’s the people that go out for these national holidays, severely overexpose
themselves to the sun, and then hibernate in their offices the rest of the year.
There are a number of different types of basal-cell carcinoma, so to give an
encompassing description as though all looked like that would be inaccurate. So
we’ll just describe a classic basal-cell carcinoma. Classic basal-cells raise up
from the surface of the skin, build a shiny high rolled ridge, and form a
depression in the center. This is a volcano-like structure. It is very rare that
anyone would ever die from a basal-cell carcinoma. In fact, less people will die
from this type than from squamous cell carcinoma.

The third type of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is the least common,
but it is the most deadly, accounting for 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths.
Melanoma is a dangerous spreading tumor that begins in melanocytes.
Melanomas can be removed and treated with excellent prognosis if detected
early. There are a number of different types of melanoma, as with basal and
squamous cell cancers, and they can occur in the eye, internal organs and on any
skin surface, including under nails, and in the palms or soles of people with
darker complexion.

But melanoma is deadly because it can spread quickly to other parts of the
body. It first appears as a mole that has changed in shape, color, sensitivity and
size, or as newly formed moles or pigmented spots on skin. It is usually
asymmetrical (or irregularly shaped), has uneven borders, mixed colors and a
diameter bigger than one-quarter of an inch, or a little larger than the size of a
pencil eraser.

Let’s go over the ABCD’s of melanoma. Some of these criteria could
actually apply to the other skin cancers as well, but it is especially designed for
melanoma. “A” stands for “Asymmetry.” This just means that no matter how
you chop it or slice it, you will not end up with two equal halves. “B” stands for
“Border.” You know how the edges of a freckle or a mole are generally
smooth? Cancers like this are generally rough around the edges. “C” stands for
“Color.” This means more than one color or unusual colors. If you see anything
like this, get it checked out. Let’s just address potential fears about this for a
moment. If you had to have a cancer, where would you rather have it—inside
your body or on your skin? On your skin, right? And by far, most skin cancers
are taken care of in a single office visit, so get it checked out. “D” stands for
“Diameter.” If it’s larger than a pencil eraser, you might want to get it checked
out. More people will get a basal cell carcinoma than any other type of cancer.

A few doctors wrote a report suggesting that “E” and “F” be added to the
ABCD’s. “E” stands for “Evolutionary changes.” In other words, it used to be a
freckle or mole, then turned into a large multicolored, highly textured spot. “F”
stands for “funny looking.” If it looks weird, get it checked out. Knowing this
information doesn’t make you a doctor, but if you see any unusual spot when
you are screening yourself, you might want to see a doctor.

However, no research at this time clearly explains a link between sun
exposure and melanoma, although some anti-sun pundits have promoted that
theory. You should be aware of the fact that melanoma generally shows up on
parts of the body that usually aren’t exposed to ultraviolet light, such as the
backs of the legs, and that studies also show that people whose occupations
expose them to large amounts of ultraviolet light are at lower risk for developing
melanoma than people whose jobs do not. This would not be possible if UV
light was linked with melanoma in a straightforward way. So while some
research may suggest a connection, that connection is still mysterious.

Each year the American Cancer Society puts out statistics on how many
people are going to get a new case of a type of cancer and how many people
they think will die from that type of cancer. They break the chart down
according to each organ of the body. The interesting thing about this report is
that year after year they have chosen not to list basal-cell and squamous cell
carcinoma. These are the only types of cancer they have chosen to exclude from the chart.
Why do you think that is? These two cancers combined make up nearly 50
percent of the chart’s data, and it’s very rare that anybody will ever die from
either a basal or squamous cell cancer. It is speculated that adding this
information would leave them with a chart that seems to say cancer in general is
not quite the crisis-like situation it is if the information is left out.

Melanoma however, is listed. It is estimated that 7,600 will die of melanoma
annually, the majority of whom are men, and most of whom are over 50 years of
age. The full story about UV light and skin cancer has yet to be written. It is the
tanning industry’s belief that science will clearly show that sunburn prevention
is the key to reducing one’s risks while allowing people to enjoy the benefits of
having a suntan. Reducing the risks and maximizing the benefits. That is what we call
“Smart Tanning.”