Skin Cancer
One of the most common types of cancer, skin cancer can be broadly classified
into malignant and non-malignant, known respectively by the medical terms
melonama and non-melonama. Melonama is comparatively rare, occurring in only
about 4% of the cases, but is more deadly. The good news is that it is curable,
provided detection is done in the early stages and treatment started in time. It
becomes more difficult to treat if the malignancy spreads particularly to
distant locations.
Risk Factors
Melonama has a strong correlation to excessive exposure to ultraviolet
radiation, the most common source of which is sunlight. Exposure to ultraviolet
radiation can also occur from tanning booths and beds. Intense and intermittent
exposure to ultraviolet radiation has a greater chance of causing melanoma than
prolonged exposure that is less intense. Also, fair skinned people are more
prone to it than dark skinned persons. Other risk factors include cigarette
smoking, age (people over 70 are more prone), gender (men are more prone), and
family history.
Recognizing melonama
You can recognize Melonama from a darkening and enlarging of existing moles.
Change of color or itching of moles can also signal Melonama. Other warning
signals that should alert you include differences in appearance or color between
two halves of a mole, an irregular or scalloped border around the mole, and
moles larger than 6 mm in size. However, you should remember that all moles are
not signals of Melonama. It is best to consult a qualified physician, who has
been trained to recognize Melonama, if you are in doubt.
Treatment
The treatment for Melonama may vary with the intensity and spread. If detected
in the early stages, it can be cured by surgical operation that will remove the
tumor. However, if the cancer has spread, then it may have to be treated through
chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The treatment method will depend on factors
like the thickness, the extent to which it has spread, the rate at which it is
growing, bleeding or ulceration, and the age and general health of the patient.
The surgical procedure, which is applied in cases of early detection, will
involve the cutting out of the tumor along with some healthy skin that surrounds
the areas of the tumor. If the detection has been done at a later stage,
additional surgery, chemotherapy, Radiation therapy or biological therapy may
become necessary.
Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs for the treatment of cancer. In simpler
cases, a single drug may be used, but in advances stages the treatment becomes
more complicated with use of high dosage along with bone marrow or stem cell
replacement. Radiation therapy uses X-ray for destroying the cancer cells.
Biological therapy works by strengthening the immune systems of the body
enabling it to fight the cancer cells. This is achieved by increasing the white
blood cell count through injection of proteins. Although comparatively free of
side effects, biotherapy is effective only in a few cases.
Prevention
Prevention is better than cure. You can take a number of steps to prevent Melonama. These include covering yourself with tightly woven or sun resistant
clothing, use of sunscreen and hat when you have to go out in the sun, and use
of ultraviolet resistant sunglasses. You can also try to avoid overexposure to
sun by not going out during the time when the sun is strongest (between 10 am
and 4 pm) and keep away from tanning beds.
Non-melonama
The causes, risk factors and symptoms of non-melonama are similar to melonama.
However, non-melonama usually does not spread and is mostly not life
threatening. It is much more common than melonama.
There are two common types of non-melonama – basal cell carcinoma and squamous
cell carcinoma. The former can be recognized from a wax-like bump or a flat
lesion, while the latter is characterized by a reddish nodule or a flat lesion
with a scaly surface. Treatment methods include
• Cryosurgery – using liquid nitrogen to freeze the affected area.
• Excisional surgery – Removal of the lesion along with a part of the
surrounding healthy area.
• Mohs’ surgery – removal of one layer at a time till all affected layers are
removed and only healthy skin remains.
• Laser therapy.