skin cancer: symptoms, cause and prevented

Skin cancer can appear in places you wouldn’t expect, including your eyes Some types of cancer can even break out in the anus and buttocks.

Despite its name, skin cancer can appear on more parts of your body than you think.

Doctors warn that people should be aware of other sites where the disease may form, as very rare cases can present in this way.

There are three types of skin cancer: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Although melanoma accounts for only one percent of cases, it causes the vast majority of deaths.

Melanoma forms in melanocytes, the cells in the skin responsible for producing color, but these cells also exist in other parts of the body and can break out into cancer.

There are three types of skin cancer. Each can present itself in different ways. These include asymmetrical or unusual moles, scaly or dark patches, and waxy bumps on the surface of the skin.

Experts warn that cancer can form in the ears, eyes, under the nails and even in the buttocks.

Skin cancer has been in the spotlight in recent days after X-Men star Hugh Jackman revealed he may have the disease. I thought he was cleared?

In total, there are approximately 5.4 million cases of skin cancer in the United States each year, and the disease causes 9,500 deaths.

White people, older adults and those who don’t use skin cancer are at greatest risk — because they have weaker immune systems and lighter pigmentation.

Although melanoma accounts for only 90,000 cases, it causes about 8,000 deaths each year.

Cancer develops when melanocytes in the skin begin to grow out of control, forming tumors that can disrupt body functions.

This is usually due to excessive UV radiation from the sun damaging the DNA of melanocytes, opening the door to cancer.

If caught early, the cancer is relatively harmless and can be removed quickly.

But if left undetected, melanoma can spread. The cancer cells can find their way into the bloodstream and embed themselves in other parts of the body.

When this happens, the cancer will start to spread to other parts of the body – called metastasis.

At this point, removing the cancer surgically is a challenge, and a person will undergo treatments such as chemotherapy, which can come with severe side effects.

Although they can also be deadly, both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are not considered to be of much concern.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common cancer in the U.S., with 3.6 million cases each year. They are usually easy for doctors to spot and remove quickly because they almost always show up as brown, waxy spots on the skin.

Squamous cell carcinoma is also rarely fatal. It usually shows up as a red mole. Doctors can usually simply remove it.

While the vast majority of these cases occur on areas of the skin that are frequently expose to the sun. Experts warn that tumor growths can appear in areas that people don’t usually check.

In the anus

The buttocks are usually covere and rarely exposed to the sun, but both basal cell carcinoma and melanoma can develop around them.

Anorectal melanoma is a rare but deadly cancer that develops inside a person’s anus.

It accounts for less than one percent of melanoma cases in the United States. But it is particularly difficult to diagnose because of its location.

It is usually diagnose at an advanced stage through a biopsy.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology reports that only 14 percent of people live at least five years after diagnosis.

Another cancer of the area, perianal basal cell carcinoma, occurs around the anus.

It is not usually cause by sun exposure but is link to smoking. This cancer is more common in men and older people.

Cancer often appears as a pale or yellow scar in the area, or as an open sore that continues to heal and then recurs.

Cases are extremely rare, with a 2018 report from the University of California, San Diego stating that only 28 cases had been document at the time.

Under the nail

Another rare but deadly type of melanoma can develop underneath a person’s thumb nail.

Subungual melanoma accounts for about 1 percent of melanomas in the United States each year. But it can be fatal if spreads.

Scientists aren’t sure why this cancer occurs, but it almost always develops in a person’s thumb or big toe.

It will appear as a black or brown discoloration under a person’s nails.

Sometimes, a person may also experience swelling in the affected limb as the body’s immune system attacks the cancer in that area.

If discoloration or swelling shows up for a long time, doctors will often use a biopsy to detect cancer.

In the ear

All three types of skin cancer can appear in the ear, and each presents in a similar way.

Almost all cases of ear cancer start as skin cancer. However, this condition is rare, with only about 300 people diagnosed each year in the United States.

Cancer often appears as scaly skin, tiny white bumps, red patches, ulcers, or black or brown lesions.

In some cases, a person can experience ear pain or hearing loss. Another common symptom is fluid discharge from the ear.

Like many forms of skin cancer, it often occurs as a result of sun exposure, and many people miss their ears when applying sunscreen the day before outdoor activities.

In the eyes

Eye cancer is rare and usually develops when the disease spreads from another nearby area. While it is rarely fatal, it can cause blindness if left untreated for a long time (file photo)

Eye cancer is rare in the United States but can be particularly dangerous and difficult to detect.

About 3,500 cases of eye cancer are diagnose in the United States each year, almost all of which are uveal melanoma.

These cancers often start somewhere else in the body, such as a mole on the skin of the face or in the ear, and then grow inside the eye.

Cancer spreads when malignant cells enter the bloodstream and are carry to new parts of the body, where they embed themselves.

However, cases rarely result in death. Melanoma in the eye does not spread to other parts of the body – which is why skin cancer usually causes death.

In 95% of cases, a person diagnosed with eye cancer will live at least another five years.

However, without proper treatment, cancer can eventually cause a person to go blind.

It can be remove surgically or through a cryotherapy technique that freezes the surface of the growth and removes it.

Under the tongue

Cancer that forms under the tongue — or floor of mouth cancer, as some experts call it — is more common than people think.

About 1 in 60 men and 1 in 141 women will develop oral cancer in their lifetime. One third of oral cancers are skin cancers that form on the floor of the mouth.

Many of these cases occur in people who chew or dip tobacco or drink large amounts of alcohol.

These substances can damage the DNA of a person’s oral tissue and open the door to potentially cancerous growths.

This cancer is easy to detect and treat. A person will often experience pain under the tongue.

It can be easily remove with minimally invasive surgery. Oral cancer is not very deadly if it is caught early and prevent from spreading, with 73% of patients surviving at least five years after diagnosis.

Scalp cancer is common but often goes unnoticed because a person’s hair blocks signs of growth (file photo)

On the scalp

Skin cancer on the scalp is more common than people think. But because it is covere by hair, it often goes unnoticed.

Any of three types of skin cancer can appear on the scalp. Like other types of skin cancer, it can develop after prolonged exposure to the sun.

It can appear as a mole, sore, ulcer, or other type of abnormal growth.

Interestingly, these cases are sometimes first discovered by barbers or hairdressers, who notice an unusual lump or pain while cutting hair.

If caught early, the cancer can be remove quickly and prevented from spreading further.