How skin cancer starts and spreads?
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Skin cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up the tissue. The tissue makes up the skin. Normal cells grow and divide to form new cells. When cells grows old or gets damaged, they usually die. Then the new cells take their place. But sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells can form when the body doesn’t need them. Another reason the old or damaged cells do not die as they should. The buildup of extra cells often forms a mass of tissue called a growth of a tumor.
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Skin cancer begins in cells, the building blocks that make up the tissue. The tissue makes up the skin. Normal cells grow and divide to form new cells. When cells grows old or gets damaged, they usually die. Then the new cells take their place. But sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells can form when the body doesn’t need them. Another reason the old or damaged cells do not die as they should. The buildup of extra cells often forms a mass of tissue called a growth of a tumor.
Types of Skin Cancer
MelanomaMelanoma is the second most common skin cancer but it is the most deadly. Melanomas are the skin cells that makes pigment in the skin. Melanoma skin cancer does not start malignant and it is curable in its early stages. But it is more serious than basal and squamous cell cancer. It can eventually spread all over the body. Eighty-six percent of melanoma cases start with exposure to UV rays. Common places where melanoma starts are the neck and face. For women, the legs are also a common place, and for men, the back and chest are common places. Melanoma is the fifth most common type of cancer for men and the seventh most common for women. The majority of cases of melanoma are white males over the age of fifty. One person dies of melanoma about every hour or fifty-seven minutes.
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Basal and Squamous CellBasal and squamous cell is the most common skin cancer but it is not as threatening as melanoma. Basal and squamous cells are cells are found on the top layer of the skin, the epidermis. The cancer is usually in the areas that get exposed to a lot of sun. For example, the head, neck, and arms are common places because they are exposed to more sun compared to other areas. If not treated, the cancer can spread all over the body. It sometimes does spread but melanoma that is most likely to spread.
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