Hello everyone!

We were learning about different kinds of diseases in class today, and my teacher told us about skin cancer. I found it very frightening, as effects of it include crabs and ulcers in the skin, and discoloration of our skin. Our skin is such an important organ of our body. Not only does it protect the insides of our body from external damage, it also has many other functions, which I have listed in another part of my blog. I am going to tell you more about skin cancer, like the symptoms, so you can look out for signs of it on your body before it's too late! But the good thing is, skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin), so a tumor is usually clearly visible. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages, and can usually be cured before the condition worsens.

Types of skin cancer
Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. There are three common types of skin cancer, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises:

1) Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
It is the most common form of skin cancer. It usually looks like a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the sun-exposed skin of the head, neck or shoulders and sometimes, small blood vessels can be seen within the tumor. Crusting and bleeding in the center of the tumor also frequently develops. Very often, it is mistaken for a sore that does not heal. The risk of metastasis (spreading of cancer to other parts of the body) is larger than with basal cell carcinoma.

2) Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
It is the second most common type of skin cancer (after basal cell carcinoma but more common than maglinant melanoma). It commonly develops as a red, scaling, thickened patch on sun-exposed skin. Ulceration and bleeding may also occur. When SCC is not treated, it may develop into a large mass. Sunlight exposure and immunosuppression are risk factors for SCC of the skin.

3) Malignant melanoma
It is one of the rarer types of skin cancer but it causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Most melanomas are brown to black looking lesions. Change in size, shape, color or elevation of a mole are signs that might indicate a malignant melanoma. Hence, it is advised that the appearance of a new mole during adulthood, or new pain, itching, ulceration or bleeding of an existing mole should be checked.

The BCC and the SCC often carry a UV-signature mutation indicating that these cancers are caused by UV-B radiation via the direct DNA damage when the DNA directly absorbs the UV-B-photon. However, the malignant melanoma is predominantly caused by UV-A radiation via the indirect DNA damage. The indirect DNA damage is caused by free radicals and reactive oxygen species. It has been shown that exposure of skin to sunbeds and the absorption of sunscreen into the skin leads to an increase of free radicals in the skin. Thus, sunscreen increases the risk of developing skin cancer too!

Risk & Risk reduction
Risk of developing skin cancer is higher when you are overexposed to UV-radiation either via the direct or via the indirect DNA damage mechanism. UV-A and UV-B have both been implicated in causing DNA damage resulting in cancer. Natural sunlight (sun exposure between 10AM and 4PM is most intense and therefore most harmful) and artificial UV exposure (tanning salons) are both associated with skin cancer.

Although it is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of skin cancer, the risk of developing such a cancer can be reduced significantly when exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is reduced, especially in early years. We should also try to avoid sunburns, not with sunscreens (as while it prevents sunburns, it may cause melanoma), but with sunblocks of about SPF 50 . Sunblocks should be reapplied every two hours. Avoiding sun exposure and UV rays by wearing protective clothing (long sleeves and hats) when outdoors during the day (usually from 10AM to 4PM when the sun is most intense) will also help to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer.

Treatment
Most skin cancers can be treated by excision, the removal of the lesion or tumor, making sure that the edges (margins) are free of the tumor cells. Excisions provide the best cure for both early and high-risk disease.
For low-risk disease, radiation therapy and cryotherapy (freezing the cancer off) can provide adequate control of the disease. However, both have lower overall cure rates than surgery.
Moh's Microsurgery is a technique used to remove the cancer with the least amount of surrounding tissue, with the edges are checked immediately to see if any tumor is found. This provides the opportunity to remove the least amount of tissue and the best cosmetically favorable results. This is especially important for areas where excess skin is limited, such as the face, and its cure rates are equivalent to excision.
However, in the case that the disease has metastasized , further surgical or chemotherapy may be required.

Skin cancer is an increasingly common condition. This is in part attributed to increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which in turn is thought to be caused by the increased popularity of sun tanning (sun bathing). Lighter-skinned individuals (eg. caucasians) are also more prone to getting skin cancer due to the lack of melanin in their skin. In the United States, about one out of every three new cancers arises from the skin, with most deaths is caused by melanoma. According to the WHO Report, about 48,000 melanoma related deaths occur worldwide per annum.

That's all I have to say for skin cancer! I hope you have managed to pick up some useful tips about learning how to protect yourself from getting skin cancer, and how to recognise its symptoms. It is important for you to detect skin cancer early, so that chances of complete recovery is higher.

It's getting late. I should go get some sleep. Goodnight! (=


Alyssa Ho (08)-

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Hello everyone, I am Sarah Beth. I have decided to set up this blog as my own personal diary.

A few months ago, I did a full-body checkup. To my horror, I found out that I am suffering from a viral infection and I had to go through various tests. The doctor told me that I am suffering from a very uncommon infection which might cause me to lose my sense of touch, if I did not receive proper treatment at once. However, I believe I still have a chance to make a complete recovery.

Since then, I did a lot of research regarding the skin and it was then that I decided to create this blog for those that are interested to know more about our skin and our sense of touch.

I came across this song while reseaching.

Here’s to all who need the strength to continue walking down this long and hard journey.