Finding a Cure for Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is a disease in which the cancer cells are found in the outer layers of the skin. There are three major types of cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. The first two are much more common but much less serious. Regardless of the type of skin cancer, getting cured is possible with different forms of treatment.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

This type of skin cancer is the most common of all, and develops in more than 1 million people each year in the United States alone. It can appear as a shiny translucent or pearly nodule, or at least this is the most common way in which it is noted. The tumors caused by this cancer tend to grow very slowly and can often take months or even years for the person to notice, which is frightening.

This can be incredibly dangerous, because if left untreated the cancer can spread, even to other parts of the body entirely, and although this is especially uncommon for the basal cell carcinomas, it is still a possibility and therefore prompt and accurate assessment, diagnosis and treatment is required.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This is the second most common type of skin cancer, and this cancer begins in the squamous cells, which are found in the upper layer of the epidermis. The majority of the time, this particular skin cancer will appear as a crusted or scaly area of skin with a red inflamed base that resembles a growing tumor or crusted patch of skin.

Melanoma

Melanoma, the least common but most serious type of skin cancer, accounts for about 4 per cent of all diagnosed skin cancers. Once the melanoma spreads in any patient, the prognosis is usually very poor and so again this is why immediate notification of the disease and treatment is necessary.

Skin Cancer Cure

Although there are various methods of treatment that are available to rid a patient of the cancer, they are not considered as being total cures. There is, as of yet, no complete skin cancer cure, but doctors often measure the success of cancer treatment in terms of the five year survival rate. More specifically, a patient is considered as being cured from skin cancer if they do not have any traces of skin cancer five years after their first diagnosis. The five year skin cancer cure or survival rate for basal cell carcinoma is more than 99 per cent, squamous cell carcinoma more than 95 per cent, and malignant melanoma about 88 per cent.