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Who doesn’t love the sun? For those of us confined to the indoors most of the year, summer is a season to relish every second of sunshine in the great outdoors. Yet times have changed and with them, our natural protection from those powerful rays (thank chemical pollution for our thinning ozone layer), meaning that sunshine today is as much of a threat as it is a benefit to our health. With sun exposure still number one on the list of skin cancer causes, education, awareness and action remain our best means to fight against this growing disease.
More than 90% of skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. The UV rays of the sun are responsible for non-melanoma skin cancers. Unprotected exposure to these rays can be from being outdoors, tanning booths, and even through your car or home windows.
Skin cancer accounts for more than 50% of all cancers combined.
Nearly 50% of people over the age of 65 have or have had some form of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is most deadly for African Americans, Asians, and Latin Americans. Although the risk factor is rather low for African Americans, Asians, and Latin Americans, skin cancer can be the most deadly for these groups.
It takes about 10 to 20 years or more for skin cancers to develop. Which means that a cancer discovered in your 50s may be due to sun exposure in your early 20s..
One bad burn in childhood doubles the risk factor for melanoma later in life. Protecting children against UV exposure is essential for skin health into adulthood. A blistering sunburn during childhood increases the risk of melanoma as an adult. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Men are diagnosed with skin cancer more often than women.According to the American Cancer Society, men are twice as likely to develop skin cancer over women. In fact, it is more common than prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer in men over 50. This makes skin cancer the most common cancer in men over 50.
Now the good news...most skin cancer is preventable and treatable!
95% of all skin cancers are curable with removal if they are found early enough.
Risks are higher in people who:
The most common forms of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma but these are non-lethal. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer but it is also the least common of these three. Most skin cancers start in areas that are most exposed to the sun, such as the head, face, neck hands and arms.
Some warning signs that you should not ignore include:
The current incidence and prevalence of skin cancer in Canada is not accurately reported. Due to a lack of statistics-gathering resources, doctors are unable to precisely document the number of tumors that are treated on an annual basis, and to detect trends.
There are many treatment options for basal cell carcinoma, including topical agents, cryotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma usually require surgery; radiation and chemotherapy may be used in certain higher risk tumors.
Mohs Micrographic Surgery is also a treatment option that offers the highest possible cure rate, for certain non-melanoma skin cancers. It is especially used in cases where there is a need for tissue sparing. Microscopic analysis of the extracted tumor ensures that the roots of the tumor, not unlike the roots of a tree, have been fully removed.
