Cancer Treatment: Cancer of the Skin

Skin cancer is not common in India. It is more common in fair-skinned people. Two main varieties of skin cancers are:

1. Squamous Cell Cancer
2. Malignant Melanoma

Squamous Cell Cancer (Rodent Ulcer)

Causes

Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight in fair-skinned people. It is commonly seen on the skin of the face and the hands.

Symptoms

It appears as an ulcer on the skin with raised margins. This ulcer docs not heal with usual antibiotics, etc. The spread of this cancer is slow and long delayed.

Diagnosis

· Routine: Blood: Hb, RBC, TLC, DLC, ESR may be normal.
· Special: Biopsy from the lesion is taken and examined for cancer cells.

Treatment

Surgery: Excision of the cancerous tissue along with some of the normal one. If the tumour has spread and gone to the draining lymph glands, these have also to be removed.

Radiation: It may be necessary if the cancer has spread, so as to kill the remnant cells.

Prognosis

Since the cancer is detected early, the cure-rate is over 90 per cent.

Malignant Melanoma

This cancer of the skin is fast growing, and spreads locally and in the regional lymph glands also.

Causes

It occurs both in the parts exposed to the sun, as well as those not thus exposed.

Symptoms

· Sudden growth in a mole or a birthmark.
· Bleeding from a mole, or what looks like a mole.
· Formation of new moles, around an old one.

Diagnosis

· Routine: Blood: Hb, TLC, DLC, ESR may show no change.
· Special: Biopsy of the suspected area and its examination for cancer cells.
· Additional: X-ray chest and bone scan for secondary spread of the cancer.

Treatment

· Surgery: Excision of the cancerous area along with that of the normal skin around it.
· Excision of the draining lymph nodes, if suspected of spread.
· Radiation: It is more often used for recurrent cases of this cancer.
· Chemotherapy: It is not very helpful.

Prognosis

It is good, if the cancer is detected and treated early.

Early Detection

Signs & Symptoms

· Skin ulcer that does not heal, but infiltrates in the area around.
· Sudden growth in a mole or a birthmark in the skin.
· Bleeding from a mole in the skin.
· Formation of new moles around an old one.

Investigations

Biopsy examination of the part involved.

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