When Was Skin Cancer First Discovered?
Skin cancer has been around since people were exposed to the sun. In Peru, 2400 year old mummies were found to have skin cancer.
Skin cancer has been around since the ancient times; but, it was not identified or specifically operated on until the late 18th/turn of the 19th century:
- The first person known to have removed a skin cancer lesion was John Hunter in 1787. The doctor did not know what is was and called it a "cancerous fungus.” The tissue was preserved, and discovered at a later date to indeed be a melanoma.
- The first person to identify skin cancer was French physician, René Laennec. He reported his findings at a conference in 1804, and published them in 1806.
Self Diagnosis Is Key to Diagnosis Success
It is important to check your skin regularly and look for any suspicious areas, such as a mole that changes in appearance, which may be cancer beginning to grow.
Once you suspect a possibility of skin cancer, the doctor will do a biopsy. There are two kinds of biopsies:
- Excisional - removal of the entire growth
- Incisional - removal of a portion of the growth
- The biopsy sample will be tested for cancerous cells.
Defining Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is one of the more common types of cancer and is also very treatable if caught early. It is a cancerous growth on the skin. The different kinds of skin cancer include:
It is a fact that people with fair skin are more prone to develop skin cancer. People with other types of skin can get skin cancer, even those with dark skin.
Sun protection is important to lessen the chance of this type of cancer. UV rays from the sun (ultraviolet radiation) are the main cause of skin cancer.
- UV rays cause damage to the DNA in the skin.
- The DNA damage causes cells to mutate or become abnormal. That encourages the growth of cancerous cells.
UV rays include rays that are visible and invisible, called UVA and UVB. It was thought, at one time, that only UVB rays were responsible for skin cancer to start, but now further tests have indicated that both kinds of rays are to blame.
Warning Signs of Skin Cancer
There are a few ways to help you find skin cancer early on. Following are some warning signs to look out for:
- Sudden appearance of a mole, wart, or other growth
- An open wound that doesn’t heal
- A growth with an irregular shape or outline
- A growth that itches or bleeds
Existing moles or growths also need to be examined for:
- Asymmetry - Malignant moles have an irregular shape, and are not identical on both sides.
- Borders - Melanomas have an irregular outline.
- Color - Malignant moles have spots of different colors, like brown, blue, black, red, or white.
- Diameter - Moles larger than ¼ inch in diameter may be malignant.
Prevention and Treatment of Skin Cancer
Many discoveries have been made to help prevent and treat the disease.
To Prevent:
- Limit sun exposure by staying out of the sun between 10 am and 3 pm
- Use hats and clothing to cover up
- Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher and re-apply every two hours
- Be especially aware of reflected sunlight off of water, snow, and sand.
To Treat:
- Micrographic surgery to remove layers of the tumor
- Excision to cut the skin from the tumer
- Cyrosurgery to freeze and destroy the abnormal tissue and cancer cells
- Laser surgery to remove the tumor
- Radiation to kill cancer cells
- Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells
The individual has an important part to play in the prevention, diagnosis asnd treatment of skin cancer.