Skin Cancer ( Discussions )

“Skin Cancer is a disease in which skin cells lose the ability to divide and grow normally. Healthy skin cells normally divide in an orderly way to replace dead cells and grow new skin. Abnormal cells can grow out of control and form a mass or “tumor”. When abnormal cells originate in the skin, the mass is called a skin tumor.”

“Skin cancer is characterized by any malignant growth on the skin. There are three main types of skin cancers which include melanoma, basal cell cancer and squamos cell cancer. Since the tumours are most likely to develop on the epidermis or the outermost layer of the skin, detecting the cancerous growth is fairly easy. Skin cancer is very prevalent and is the most common diagnosed cancer. However, it has a lower incidence of death because of the likelihood that it will be caught in the early stages. Melanoma is the worst form of skin cancer but it less common than the two other forms of the disease. In many cases of the disease the cancer does not necessarily spread very quickly or at all.”

Nowadays, Skin Cancer disease is raising quickly especially in United states, Australia and England. In many research, skin cancer disease is more suffered by skin white people. That matters is caused by Ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In Indonesia the sufferer of skin cancer disease is less than in 3 country above. But we have to know that skin cancer disease can causes disablement and give a serious effect for sufferer.

Skin cancer disease is a disease that signed by growth of skin cells that cannot be reined, can damaged a network around them and it can spread to the other part of body. There are three types of skin cancer that usually suffered by people : Karsinoma sel basal (KSB), Karsinoma sel skuamosa (KSS), dan melanoma maligna (MM).


Skin Cancer Vicious
• Karsinoma Sel Basal (KSB)
It is a kind of skin cancer disease that usually suffered by people. This kind of cancer isn’t spread to the other part of body, but cancer cells can growth and damaged skin cells around. A skin color that bright and almost infected by Ultraviolet radiation from the sun both of them is guessed as a causes Karsonima Sel Basal. The other factor that can be a causal factor of this cancer is body immune system that weak (the impact of the other disease) or X-ray.
Part of body that usually infected cell basal cancers are : face, neck and head skin.

• Karsinoma Sel Skuamosa (KSS)
It is a kind of skin cancer disease that usually suffered by a man especially adult. This kind of cancer is predicted causes by Ultraviolet radiation from sun, the weak of body immune, virus, and chemistry material.

• Melanoma Maligna (MM)
It is a kind of cancer disease that very vicious. In United States, there are six data from seven cancer sufferer died. And total people that attacked is raising in every year.. Melanoma Maligna can growth from new small moles.
The characteristic of this cancer is ABCD,
- A means = Asimetrik
- B means = Border
- C means = Color
- D means = Diameter bigger than 6 mm.




Case Study : Sun-worshiper Alan says he was one of the lucky ones

Grandfather Alan storey had his life turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma.

The 62-year-old, of North Shields, was told he had the illness in February 2003.

He had eight-hour surgery at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary to remove a large tumour from his scalp, two small ones from the back of his head, as well as 17 lymph nodes.

Last night, the former delivery driver said it was a lack of awareness that had contributed to the problem. He said : “I used to love the sun and whenever there was a sunny day I would be in the back garden or down the beach sunning myself.

“I would often get very burnt As I wasn’t aware of the damage it could cause and the dangers UV rays posed.

“At the time being brown was seen as attractive and I would take every opportunity to sunbathe. During the 50s, 60s, and 70s people did not know about skin cancer and there was not the use of sun cream like there is now.

“had I known what devastating impact the sun can have I would never have let myself get burnt. Now, whenever I’m in the sun, I make sure I’m fully covered.

“I’m one of the lucky ones. When I was diagnosed with skin cancer I was worried I might not make it, but I’m very fortunate I did.”

Alan who is married to Isobel, 56, and has children Joanne 37, Steven, 26, and granddaughter, Lauren, three, goes to hospital every six months to check the cancer has not returned
From that story, we know that Grandfather Alan is suffering skin cancer disease. He was diagnosed with Malignant Melonama. When he know he diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma he was worried, he taught that he can’t survive because of his disease. But how fortunate him ? he is the one of the lucky ones. He always go to hospital every six months to check the cancer has not returned.

Caroline Cerny, SunSmart manager at Cancer Research Uk, said : “A change in the culture of tanning including the explosion of the cheap package holiday and the introduction of sunbeds in the 1970s means we’re now seeing alarming rates of melanoma for an entire age group.”

Already skin cancer is predicted to become the fourth most common cancer for men and for women in the UK by 2024, we must continue to try and stop this pattern of behaviour or melanoma rates in future generations will hit an all time high.

Skin cancer causes and risks :
Excessive UV exposure is the main cause of both kinds of skin cancer

Other factors that increase skin cancer risks are :
- People with light eyes or hair, who sunburn easily or do not tan
- People with a lot of moles, unusually shaped or large moles or a lot of freckles, moles that have 3 or more different shades of black or brown are most probably melanoma
- A history of Sunburn doubles the risk of melanoma
- Using sunbeds
- Family history of skin cancer
- Skin cancer symptoms



As we know, there are many known causes of skin cancer. The most common cause is over exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays or sunlight. And a few others include the following :
- Having any deficiency of the immune syste, that is having a condition that predisposes you to lowered immune system function, will increase the risk of developing skin cancer.
- Being exposed to abnormally high levels of X-rays may contribute to the development of skin cancer.
- Having a genetic disorder that causes no development of pigment can heighten the risk for the disease.
- If an individual has already had skin cancer risk is increased.
- If you had at least one very severe case of sunburn in childhood the risk for developing the cancer is higher.
- Having a family history of the disease is a well established risk factor.
- If you have multiple moles these can develop into cacncerous growths on the skin also. Some persona opt to have moles removed to lower that they will develop into cancerous tumours.

From those explanation above we can take summary that Ultraviolet Radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer. Energy from the sun actually is a form of radiation. It consists of visible light and others rays that people cannot see. Invisible infrared radiation for instance make sunlight feel hot.. UV also is invisible and causes sunburn and sun tan.

Some cases of skin cancer, however, may be hereditary and run in families. In those cases, skin cancer is caused by abnormal genes that children inherit from their parents. Genes make parents and children look somewhat alike. They also make them likely to get same of the same disease.


Anyone can get a skin cancer, Although most cases occur in people over age 50 with fair skin, it can develop in younger people, and those with dark skin. In general an individual’s lifetime exposure to UV light determines his risk.