Did you know 2 in 3 of us will be diagnosed with skin cancer by age 70? With one Australian losing their life to melanoma every five hours, it's important that we know what skin cancer is - including the various types - and what signs to look out for to keep our skin healthy and safe.
This is what you need to know about skin cancer.
Most skin cancers are locally destructive cancerous growths on the skin. They originate from the cells in the outer layers of the skin, called the epidermis. There are various types of skin cancers that grow in different cell types.
Some types of skin cancer grow larger on the skin and cause disfigurement and pain. Aggressive skin cancers like melanoma can quickly spread to other organs in the body and become deadly.
The vast majority of skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which damages the cells and causes tanning, sunburn, pigmentation, freckles, and potentially turns those cells cancerous. Skin cancers will often develop years after sun exposure has occurred. Solarium use also significantly increases your chances of growing skin cancer.
Some skin cancers can also appear in areas that haven't been exposed to the sun. Melanoma can be hereditary; if your parent, sibling or child has had a melanoma, your own risk increases significantly.
Skin cancer can look like anything! It usually appears as a new or changing lesion on your skin that stands out from the others. See what skin cancer looks like here.
Did you know?
Over 1.1 million skin cancers are treated every year in Australia.
Signs of basal cell carcinoma include:
BCC is usually treated successfully with minor surgery and rarely spreads beyond its original site, but it can be locally destructive to surrounding tissue if not treated in a timely manner.
Signs of squamous cell carcinoma include:
SCC can be very painful, causing local tissue destruction if not treated early. It can also spread to other areas of the body and sometimes become fatal.
Did you know?
Actinic keratoses (also called solar keratoses) are a type of pre-cancerous skin spot. If left untreated, up to 10 per cent of actinic keratoses develop into SCC. They appear as scaly, crusty lesions, often on the face, scalp and hands, and are caused by damage from UV radiation. They can usually be treated with topical creams.
See the ABC guide to melanoma detection here.
Melanoma is best treated with surgery when found early, but can spread to other areas of the body within weeks or months, making it much harder to treat, and can become deadly.
You are at increased risk for developing skin cancer if you:
The method of treatment depends on the location and size of the skin cancer and your own health.
Some superficial skin cancers can be treated with creams, gels and solutions such as imiquimod (which stimulates the body's immune system to attack the cancer) and fluorouracil, a chemotherapy drug. Side effects of topical treatments include redness, inflammation and irritation.
The area is numbed with a local anaesthetic and is repeatedly scraped with a curette before the edge is cauterised with an electric needle. It is a fast, easy, and relatively inexpensive treatment for skin cancer, but can leave an unsightly scar and has a recurrence rate as high as 15 per cent.
For skin cancer surgery, a portion of tissue including the tumour is surgically removed and then the wound is closed with stitches. For large skin cancers, skin grafts or flaps are needed to close the wound. Surgery offers a cure rate of more than 90 per cent and the specimen can be examined to ensure all cancerous cells have been successfully removed.
10 to 15 treatment sessions deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumour and surrounding skin. This form of treatment is useful for those unable to undergo surgery, such as elderly people. The advantage of radiation therapy is that there is no cutting involved; however, radiation scars look worse over time.
In cases where a melanoma or invasive SCC has spread to other organs in the body, a combination of treatments can be used. This may include surgery to remove the tumour from the lymph nodes or organs, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or even immunotherapy in which medication stimulates the immune system to fight off cancer cells.
Outside of your annual skin cancer check, you should see a doctor if any mole: