Skin Cancer Kills Again

BLOG POSTING: Mario

Reciently I saw in the paper that a Honolulu man died of skin cancer that originated from a mole on his back. He was diagnosed with skin cancer when he consulted a doctor after he noticed his mole to have grown in size. He died about eight months after he was diagnosed with the cancer. I found some great stuff about skin cancer for you so you and I can avoid the same fate.

HERE'S MY QUESTION: How do moles become cancerous and what can we do to prevent skin cancer?

ANSWER: Yes, moles can become cancerous. Cancer that arises from a mole is called Melanoma or "malignant melanoma", one of the three most common types of cancer of the skin — the two others types of skin cancer are "basal cell carcinoma" and "squamous cell carcinoma."

Of the three types of skin cancer, Melanoma is the most deadly because once it has penetrated the skin it spreads rapidly and becomes rapidly fatal.

Despite its invasive nature, the cure rate for Melanoma is almost 100% if it is diagnosed and removed early. If you think your mole is cancerous, see your doctor.

Melanoma originates in cells called melanocytes. These cells comprise seven to 10 percent of the cell population of normal skin, but in moles or nevi, they have a high concentration. Melanocytes produce melanin, the pigment that gives the skin its brown to black color.

Melanocytes are also found in the eyes, and a few other organs in the body, thus, a few melanomas originate from the eye, digestive tract, etc., but by and large, melanomas arise in skin.

A melanoma arises when melanocytes mutate, become abnormal and proliferate rapidly and uncontrollably.

After a variable period of time, some of these malignant cells are able to break through the skin and spread or metastasize, via the lymphatic and blood vessels, to other tissues and organs of the body where they proliferate and give rise to tumors that displace and destroy the cells of the organ they have invaded.

Melanoma can develop in normal skin, especially those areas exposed to sunlight, but most arise in pre-existing pigmented moles (nevi) — especially in abnormal looking moles called dysplastic nevi.

Fair-skinned people are more prone to melanomas than darkskinned ones. Thus, the incidence of melanoma is higher among whites than among blacks.

Likewise, melanomas tend to run in families; people with a personal or family history of the disease have a higher risk of developing the malignancy. Also, people with a weakened immune system such as those with HIV or who have undergone organ transplant operations are more susceptible to the disease.

Melanomas vary in appearance. Most are black or brown, but sometimes, because the melanocytes stop producing melanin they are seen as patches of red, pink, white, blue or even purple. As a rule, they have irregular outlines and sometimes, they crust, ulcerate or bleed.

In as much as a melanoma is curable when diagnosed and treated early in its course, people should watch out for the warning signs of the disease which include: A change in color or character of a mole (e.g., if it enlarges, darkens or changes in color, ulcerates, bleeds, itches, or gets painful or inflamed); and, a change in character of a pigmented spot in skin (e.g., the spot is spreading or changing in color).

Melanomas that are confined to the skin are treated by surgical removal. Those that have involved only the very superficial areas of the skin have a cure rate of almost 100 percent. In addition to surgery, those that have already spread or metastasized are treated with chemotherapy, but the cure rate in these cases is very low.

Can melanomas be prevented? Like other skin cancers, there is a strong association between melanomas and prolonged and frequent exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Thus, people can markedly reduce their risks of developing melanoma by not overexposing themselves to the sun. To this end, the following measures should be helpful:

• Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when it is hottest.
• If you have to go out in the sun, protect yourself by wearing long sleeves, pants, a hat and sunglasses.
• When you go out in the sun, apply sunscreen cream or lotion liberally. Check the label of the sunscreen when you buy one. The ideal sunscreen should have a sun-protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.

REMOVING (NON-CANCEROUS) MOLES SAFELY

Dermatend mole remover can remove any size mole from your skin with one application. If you feel DermaTend does not work exactally like we say, simply send it back for a prompt, courteous refund -- no questions asked.

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