Types of skin cancer

Types of skin cancer

In order to be able to recognize a skin cancer, it is useful to know how many different types of skin cancer there are and what symptoms help to identify them.

First of all, there are two main types of skin cancer – meanoma and a nonmelanoma skin cancer. Melanoma first of all has an impact on pigmentation and appears after cells producing pigment become cancerous. First signs of this type of skin cancer are:

A (asymmetric) – asymmetric moles;
B (borders) – moles having irregular borders;
C (colors) – moles of various colors;
D (diameter) – moles greater than 6mm in size;
E (evolution) – moles that tend to enlarge quickly.

Common types of melanoma skin cancer:

Metastatic melanoma. The most dangerous aspect of the disease is its ability in later melanoma stages to spread to other parts of the body. Metastatic melanoma, also known as melanoma of the 4th stage, is diagnosed when melanoma cells have spread through the lymph nodes to distant body's organs. The liver, lungs, bones and brain are most often affected by metastatic melanoma.

Another melanoma skin cancer type is an acral lentiginous melanoma. Melanoma is a potentially serious skin cancer that arises from pigment cells (melanocytes). Acral lentiginous melanoma is the most common subtype in people with darker skins. Symptoms of this type of skin cancer include:

  • longitudinal tan, black, or brown streak on a finger or toe nail;
  • pigmentation of proximal nail fold;
  • areas of dark pigmentation on palms of hands or soles of feet.

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As melanoma, a nonmelanoma skin cancer is mostly probable for light-skinned people. One of the forms of a nonmelanoma skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma. It develops out of deepest skin epidermis basal cells, also may spread to other body parts. First sign of such a skin cancer may just be a small knot of skin color (although it may also appear as a dark knot) that appears on face. Eventually it begins to spread to other body parts and might remind an eczema – reddish, flatty plate, that usually appears in the areas of waist, breast, limbs. 

There are more different types of a nonmelanoma skin cancer. 

Squamous cell carcinoma. Comparing to basalioma it is a five times rarer skin cancer type. This skin cancer type develops out of precancerous diseases:

  • actinic keratosis impacted, open to sun body parts, inside the skin and mucous membrane. Its origin are the same cells as in basalioma case;
  • keratinocytes, although the course of the disease differs. Metastasis is characteristic for this form of skin cancer as much as for melanoma.
  • All types of skin cancer can be treated in such ways as medical treatment, criodestruction, laser destruction, photodynamic therapy, radiation therapy, skin cancer surgery, combination of several methods.