Skin Cancers
This information is of a general nature only and is for public information and education. Your individual problem needs to be assessed by your family doctor who will advise you on appropriate further steps.
Commonly occurring skin cancers are Basal Cell Carcinomas (rodent ulcers) and Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
These are usually slow growing cancers which spread by local extension and hence are not considered dangerous except in a small percentage of patients in whom the disease spreads by the blood stream or lymphatics or even through nerves.
However, these cancers need to be treated early as they often occur on the face, eyelids, nose etc and delay in treatment permits the cancers to grow and result in the need for greater removal of vital tissues and more complicated reconstruction to leave the patient looking normal.
Malignant Melanomas, while not as common as Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas, are skin cancers, that spread via the blood stream and lymphatics.
Fortunately all Malignant Melanomas are not the same. The more superficial ones can be treated with simple removal and with a near 100 per cent cure.
Public awareness has been heightened with education on early warning signs, leading to much earlier pick up of the problem resultant excellent cure rates since early detection often results in the Malignant Melanoma being superficial.
As a rule of thumb, any sore spot on the skin, if it has not cleared by three weeks, or if it clears but keeps recurring, needs to be looked at by your General Practitioner, as early detection means simpler treatment and better results.
