Educate Yourself About Skin Cancer

By: Keefe Figgatt

People refer to cancer as "The Big C". While it may seem as though all forms of the disease fall under one main categorization, there are actually more than 100 ailments that may be considered to be "cancer". Every type is different, but all are related to diseased cells in the body.

Those cells that are healthy and comprise the body's tissue grow before dividing and replacing themselves. This is how the body grows, maintains its health and in good repair. However some of these cells can lose their ability to perform these tasks, limiting their growth and progress. They may divide themselves too rapidly or grow without organization. Some times too much tissue can be produced, resulting in tumors being produced. Tumors may be benign or malignant.

Benign tumors do not lead to cancer. They do not extend to the rest of the body and are not life threatening. These type of tumors are usually removed via surgery and usually do not return. They are often more of a nuisance than a threat.

Malignant tumors do lead to cancer. They cause illness to the body by invading and destroying the neighboring healthy tissues and organs. They can grow new tumors in the body by spreading or metastasizing to other organs.

Skin cancer comes in two main forms: basal cell carcinoma and Squamous cell carcinoma. A "carcinoma" is a type of cancer that begins in the cells that cover or surround an organ.

More than 90 percent of skin cancers in the United States are basal cell carcinoma. This type of cancer grows slowly and rarely spreads to other areas. It's crucial, however, that all types of skin cancer are found and treated as early as possible to prevent them from invading and destroying nearby tissues.

Nonmelanoma skin cancers are squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. Melanoma skin cancer begins in the melanocytes.

The most common types of cancer in the United States are skin cancers. It's estimated that 40 to 50 percent of people who live to be 65 or older in the United States will develop skin cancer at least once in their lifetime. Even so, people of all ages and every nationality are at risk of developing skin cancer. People with blue or light colored eyes, those with freckles or fair skin, and people with blond or red hair present a higher risk of developing skin cancer.

The sun's UV (ultraviolet) radiation is the most common cause of skin cancer. The sun creates two types of ultraviolet radiation: UVA and UVB. Tanning booths and sun beds create artificial UV radiation, and will also cause skin cancer.

The location where a person lives plays a role in the risks of developing skin cancer. People live in areas where they are exposed to high levels of UV radiation and are more likely to develop skin cancer. For example, the Texas sun is especially strong. There are also high rates of skin cancer found in South Africa and Australia where the populations get excessive amounts of the sun's radiation.

Article Source: http://appliedhealtharticles.com

Contributor Keefe Figgatt is a writer for a variety of popular web sites, on alternative health care and health question issues.
Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated