Skin Cancer and Beyond: What You Need to Know

Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. There are over one million new cases of skin cancer identified each year, but less than 1000 deaths per year related to skin cancer. Compare this to just over 200,000 cases of prostate cancer, and nearly 30,000 deaths per year. In fact, there is almost no reason why anyone should die of skin cancer. With proper preventative measures, timely detection, and appropriate treatment, nearly all skin cancer deaths could be prevented. Sometimes, though, the high survival rate can cause doctors to be lax in diagnosing and treating skin cancer, leading to unnecessary deaths.

Prevention of Skin Cancer

It is estimated that over 90 % of all skin cancers are related to sun exposure. The best first step to prevent skin cancer is to avoid sun exposure. This is especially true for men and women with very fair skin, but everyone should be aware of the dangers of sun exposure.

Avoid sun exposure using a combination of shade, hats, sunglasses, and covering clothing to protect yourself from damaging ultraviolet rays. When you have to be out in the sun, wear a generous amount of sunscreen with a high SPF, but the American Cancer Society reminds us that sunscreen alone is not enough to protect against dangerous UV radiation. You should also avoid tanning beds, where you are exposed to additional UV radiation.

Early Detection

It is advisable that you regularly self-screen yourself for skin cancer. You should be aware of your moles and birthmarks, and pay attention if any of them suddenly start to grow or change shape, especially if previously symmetric birth marks become enlarged and asymmetric. You should also look for raised red or pink patches of skin, especially ones that crust, scab, or bleed.

Then you should show your doctor the growth, and make sure you let them know if you have a history of skin cancer in the family. They will let you know whether it is nothing to worry about or whether more should be done. Hopefully, they will have tests run to determine whether it is cancerous or not, including biopsies. Make sure they follow up on the results, because early detection is the key to all cancer survival.

Treatment Success--At what cost?

If detected early, most skin cancers can be treated by removal of the growth. After tests have revealed whether the cancer has spread or not, no further treatment may be necessary. Once the skin cancer has begun to move to other systems, other treatments include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and photodynamic therapy.

However, if insufficient tests are performed before or after surgery to determine whether the cancer has spread, though, cancer can grow undetected until treatment options shrink and the prognosis becomes poor.

A doctor who does not take you growth seriously can put you at risk for a highly aggressive metastasized cancer. If you are lucky, you may survive after a year or more of highly invasive treatment that is expensive and leads to a considerable diminishment in your quality of life. This form of medical malpractice is not the result of a tough call or a difficult procedure, it is simply a failure on the part of the doctor to care.