Most common type of cancer is skin cancer. Most of the time skin cancer irrupts in the epidermis; as a result a tumor is generally visible.

Types of Skin Cancer

There are three most common skin cancers widely known - basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas develop gradually and are easily treatable, when found at an early stage. Melanoma is one of the most serious types of skin cancers. It affects inner layers of the skin and has the strongest potential to disseminate to other tissues in the body. Squamous cell carcinoma can also spread internally. Although this disease can surface any time, there are a few risk factors that enable persons prone to this disease.

Causes

• fair skin (people of fair skin are specifically at risk)

• excessive exposure to sun

• arsenic exposure

• burns or scars

• radiation treatments

• intake of immunosuppressive medicines

• ulcers of chronic skin inflammation

Symptoms of Skin Cancer

• Tiny, smooth and shiny patches of skin with waxy texture

• Raised, small, brown or red marks

• Unusual bleeding or scaling

• Wounds that did not heal at all

Display of these signs necessarily does not establish that you are suffering from melanoma; nevertheless, you should not take any chances. It may be risky. You should consult a good skin cancer doctor for the same.

How Is Skin Cancer Diagnosed?

At initial stage if there is a patch of skin looking suspicious, your dermatologist may ask for a sample, called a biopsy. In this biopsy a small piece of the related skin is removed and sent to a pathologist for the examination of it under a microscope to detect whether or not there is any possibility of cancer. Good news is that the toughest skin cancer e.g. melanoma is easily identified using this methodology.

Treatments of Skin Cancer

If detected at an earliest stage, skin cancer is in fact one of the easiest cancer to treat - the infected tissues are simply removed. This is not the end of treatment though, because there is always a chance of its reoccurrence, patients generally need consistent monitoring to ensure that the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.

If there is metastasis, radiation or chemotherapy can also be required. Skin cancer specialists can advise you what to expect and refer you to some oncologist for further treatment.