The number of new cases of cancer increases every year, yet many people continue to expose their skin to the sun's ultraviolet rays without protection. Breakthroughs in prevention and treatment are available, yet people avoid them. This paper will discuss the types, symptoms, causes, preventions, methods of detection and available treatment of sun-related cancer.
Skin cancers are most readily cured when discovered early and treated promptly. Every year, more than 500,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed, they account for one-third of all new cancers. Fortunately, this is the easiest of all cancers to detect, and most cases can be treated successfully. The sun's ultraviolet rays are the main cause of the two most common forms of skin cancer--basal-cell and squamous-cell carcinomas. Less common but more dangerous is melanoma. Also prevalent is actinic keratosis, a common precancerous skin disorder. Basal-cell carcinomas, the most common of skin cancers, appear on the trunk of the body, starting out as small, distorted cells found in the lowest part of epidermis. Luckily, these slow-growing tumors do not metastasize (spread), but they do ulcerate and ooze fluid if left untreated, and they ultimately damage deep local areas: "These tumors don't spread quickly. It may take many months or years for one to reach a diameter of one half inch. Untreated, the cancer will begin to bleed, crust over, then the cycle will repeat."
Basal-cell carcinomas usually occur in people over 40. They are most prevalent in blond, fair-skinned males and are the most common malignant tumors affecting Caucasians, with more than 400,000 new cases appearing each year. The second most common skin cancers, squamous-cell carcinomas, afflict 80,000-100,000 people each year. These tumors can appear as red or pink scaly patches or exposed, tiny crater-like nodules. Typically found on the ears, face, mouth and lips, squamous tumors increas...