Skin Cancer
 |
| Skin cancer |
Skin cancer is a disorder of the skin cells caused by mutations in the cell's DNA, which makes cell growth fast, the cell's age is longer and the cell loses its basic properties. Skin cancer commonly occurs on the skin that is often exposed to sunlight, but this condition can also occur on the skin that is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Based on the type of cells that are attacked, skin cancer is divided into three types:
-> Melanoma. This is a skin cancer that occurs in the melanocyte or skin pigment producing cells. Skin cancer melanoma is a rare, but dangerous skin cancer.
->Non-melanoma skin cancer. It is a skin cancer that occurs in skin tissues other than melanocytes. Non-melanoma skin cancer is divided into the following two types:
- Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), a skin cancer that occurs in the lower part of the epidermis. Basal cell cancer is the most common type of non-melanoma cancer in humans.
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), a skin cancer that occurs in the upper part of the epidermis. Squamous cell cancer is quite common, but the frequency is not as much as basal cell cancer.
Skin Cancer Symptoms
Skin cancer generally occurs in areas that are often exposed to sunlight such as on the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, and legs. However, in some cases, skin cancer can also occur in areas rarely exposed to sunlight such as the palms and feet, the bottom of the fingers, even in the genital area. Skin cancer can occur to anyone, including in people who have dark skin color. The symptoms of skin cancer differ for each type. The general picture is as follows:
--> Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC). BCC generally occurs in areas that are often exposed to sunlight such as the neck or face. Symptoms of basal cell cancer include:
-- The lump is soft and shiny on the skin.
-- Lesions are flat on dark brown or reddish-brown skin such as meat.
--> Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). SCC also commonly occurs in areas of sun-exposed skin. But in dark-skinned people, squamous cell cancers often occur on the skin on the part of the body that is rarely exposed to sunlight. Symptoms of SCC in general are as follows.
-- Red lumps are hard on the skin.
-- Skin lesions are flat and scaly as crust.
--> Melanoma. Melanoma can grow in any part of the skin, either in normal skin or on an existing mole that turns malignant. In males, melanoma cancer usually appears on the face and body. Whereas in women, melanoma more often appears in the lower leg. Both in men and women, melanoma can appear in areas of skin that are not exposed to sunlight. Melanoma can be experienced by anyone regardless of skin color. In dark-skinned people, melanoma generally occurs in the palms of the hands or feet and under the fingers or toes. Symptoms of melanoma that generally occur are as follows:
-- A brown lump with black spots on the bump.
-- A mole that changes color and size or bleeds.
-- The appearance of small lesions on the skin with irregular edges, or red, white, blue, and blue-
black lesions.
-- The appearance of dark-colored lesions on the palms, soles of the feet, fingertips or feet.
-- The appearance of dark-colored lesions of the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, vagina,
or anus.
The following is a list of ABCDEs about melanoma characteristics to distinguish them from ordinary moles.
- Asymmetric. The form of melanoma is generally asymmetrical when compared with ordinary moles.
- Border (fringe). The edge of melanoma is generally squiggly, not round like a normal mole.
- Color (color). The color of melanoma is a combination of two or more colors.
The diameter of melanoma is generally more than 6 mm.
- Enlargement (enlargement). Melanoma will enlarge over time.
Other Skin Cancer Cases
Here are other types of skin cancer are more rare, including:
- Kaposi's sarcoma. Kaposi sarcoma occurs due to a viral infection that causes mutations in endothelial cells, in the form of red or purple patches on the tissue under the skin. Kaposi sarcoma can occur in people with immune system disorders such as AIDS patients or recipients of organ transplants, infected by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8).
- Merkel cell carcinoma. Merkel cells are cells located close to the nerve endings in the skin, and are associated with the function of the skin as the sense of touch. Malignancy in Merkel cells is very rare, and causes the formation of a hard lump under the skin or on the hair follicle.
- Oil gland carcinoma (sebaceous glands). Sebaceous gland cancer is a rare cancer, but is aggressive. Sebaceous gland cancer generally appears in the oil glands of the skin, then form a hard lump that does not hurt. Sebaceous cancer can occur anywhere, but it usually occurs in the eyelid and is often misdiagnosed as another eye disorder.
Not all abnormalities or protrusions on the skin are caused by cancer, but often skin cancers appear as mild skin lesions, so doctors' diagnosis is crucial in determining the cause and type of abnormality.