Skin cancer awareness
What is skin cancer?
There are two types of skin cancer, melanoma and non-melanoma. The number of cases of skin cancer in the UK has more than doubled in the last 20 years. Importantly, when skin cancer is caught early it can be treated successfully. However, if melanoma – the more serious form of skin cancer - is not caught and treated early, the cancer can spread to other organs and it can be fatal. In the UK, just over 2,000 people die from skin cancer each year.
Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer
The most common type of skin cancer is non-melanoma; more than 67,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year. It can appear as a growth, spot or sore that doesn’t heal.
Non-melanoma usually affects people over 50, although it can affect younger people. The only known risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, usually the sun, but other sources of UV light including sunbeds are a risk. Non-melanoma skin cancer is usually treatable by surgical removal of the visible cancer, and if this occurs in time, it is usually successful and no further treatment is necessary.
Melanoma Skin Cancer
The more serious form of skin cancer is melanoma, often called malignant melanoma. More than 8,000 people in the UK each year are diagnosed with this form of cancer and nearly 1,800 people die. Although rare, melanoma does affect younger people and is the third most common cancer amongst 15-39 year olds. However risk increases with age.
Like non-melanoma skin cancer, the only known risk factor of melanoma is exposure to UV light, mostly from the sun but also in other forms including the use of sun-beds.
Ultraviolet light damages cells of the outer layers of the skin, leading to tanning. In acute cases, it causes sunburn, the most obvious evidence of sun-induced skin damage. Prolonged exposure to the sun also leads to damage to the skin and both forms of damage can drastically increase the risk of skin cancer.
