I watched about this Basal Cell Carcinoma featured at “Magandang Gabi Bayan”. I was shocked because the woman’s face was totally gone. The husband noted that it was started to a pimple, she pinched it and bleed then it became a wound. It spread through her nose. They decided to check it with the Albularyo thinking it was a Kulam. Several months later, the wound doesn’t heal until it reached her eyes. They went to a doctor and she was diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma or simply Skin Cancer… No surgery done to her because the cancer was already reached her bone (skull)… it might cause of her death, the doctor said.
Scary, I used to pinch my pimple whenever I have one… aaahhh, I never do it again!
Symptoms (according to the book I read)
Persons with skin problems should report promptly to their physicians any sores that refuse to heal, or changes in warts or moles. Pimples that itch and recur may also be symptoms of skin cancer.
Therapy
Fortunately, almost all skin cancers remain localized, and can either be removed surgically or with an electric needle, or treated by irradiation with X rays or radioactive sources.
Causes
Most skin cancers appear after the age of 40. Scientists point to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight as the primary cause, with ultraviolet-B, the shorter wavelength band, as the more dangerous. But dermatologists recommend that ultraviolet-A, used often in high-intensity sunlamps, be avoided as well. While UV-A is spread more evenly throughout the day, UV-B is largely concentrated around
midday
.
Fair-skinned individuals, who burn readily, rather than tanning, are more vulnerable to radiation-caused cancer than darker-skinned persons. Geographic location is also important. Skin cancer occurs more frequently in the southern belt of stated, particularly in the sunny southwest.
Chemicals, too, can cause skin cancer. Before the relationship was discovered, skin cancer was an occupational hazard for many thousands of unprotected workers who dealt with arsenic and various derivatives of coal and petroleum.
Kinds
Of the three primary kinds of skin cancer, two are both common and relatively curable. These are basal-cell and squamous-cell carcinoma. Early detection almost ensures that a cure can be effected.
A melanoma, or so-called black cancer, is a malignant tumor that arises from a mole. The moles may begin as flat, soft, brown, and hairless protrusions, but they can change suddenly into darker, larger growths that itch and bleed. They can also metastasize, spreading caner cells to other parts of the body through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system.
Unlike other types of skin cancer, melanomas may grow in skin areas not usually exposed to the sun, such as the feet, in the genital area, or under the belt or collar, Chronic irritation from tight clothing is one suspected cause. Melanomas rarely occur before middle age; nearly three-fourths of the victims are women.
