For useful information on skin cancer, prevention, self checks and more...
Skin is made up of tiny ‘building blocks’ called cells, and skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. These cells can become cancerous when they have been damaged, usually by UV radiation from the sun.
Skin cancer is very common in New Zealand - over 50% of Kiwi's will be affected in their lifetime.
The three most common types of skin cancer are melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
Melanoma is a common and serious type of skin cancer. It can spread rapidly and can be life-threatening if left untreated. Unfortunately, New Zealand has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, with around 350 Kiwi's dying of it every year.
What is melanoma?
Melanoma develops from skin cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are in everyone's skin and produce a protein called melanin which protects the skin cells by absorbing harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
A cancerous (or uncontrolled) growth of melanocytes results in melanoma.
Melanoma is described as:
There are different sub-types of melanoma which are classified according to their appearance and behaviour. The four main sub-types are: superficial spreading melanoma, lentigo maligna melanoma, acral lentiginous melanoma, and nodular melanoma.
Most melanoma are a result of previous exposure to UV radiation from the sun, often in ones youth or early adulthood e.g, sunbathing, outdoor work / activities. Sun exposure and sunburn during these years greatly increases the chance of getting melanoma later in life.
Treatment
The best chance to cure melanoma is to find and treat it early. Early melanoma is essentially cured by simply excising (removing) it before it has a chance to spread. However, if it goes unnoticed or is ignored, melanoma can spread (metastasise) to other tissues and organs which is very difficult to treat and can be deadly.
It is very important to get checked early if you are worried about a mole that is changing shape, colour, size or outline, or if you have a mole that stands out as different from the others.
Useful resources :
"Understanding Early Melanoma - A guide to early melanoma"
"Understanding Advanced Melanoma - A guide to Stage III and IV melanoma"
For more information on melanoma please visit: Melanoma - Dermnet
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer in New Zealand. Approximately 40% of New Zealanders will develop a basal cell carcinoma requiring treatment.
It can present in a number of ways from a non-healing sore or scaly patch of skin, to a pearly skin lump with blood vessels on the surface. It generally grows slowly over months, and if left untreated will continue to grow into and invade surrounding tissues (eg nose, ear, eyelids). Basal cell cancers rarely spread to other parts of the body and thus, rarely cause death, although they can and do result in considerable discomfort, disfigurement and scarring.
Treatments
There are a number of effective treatment options including surgical removal, liquid nitrogen and topical creams.
For more information and pictures please visit: Basal Cell Carcinoma - Dermnet NZ
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common type of skin cancer in New Zealand.
It usually presents as a pink, scaly or crusty lump on sun-damaged skin, commonly on the face, scalp, arms and legs. They tend to grow much more quickly than BCC (above) and can be tender.
Treatment
Squamous cell carcinoma is easily treated if found early, usually by surgical excision. More aggressive SCC can however spread to other parts of the body (metastasise) and can sometimes be fatal.
For more information and pictures please visit : Squamous Cell Carcinoma - Dermnet
There are many other common skin lesions that we may see apart from the big three (melanoma, SCC, BCC). Below is a list of some of these.
Protecting your skin against the suns damaging UV rays is the best form of defence against developing melanoma or other skin cancers:
For more information about sun protection please visit the SunSmart NZ website.
It is important you check your skin regularly for any moles or spots that have appeared or changed over time. Skin cancers can be in places you can't see yourself, so you may need to ask someone to help you check e.g. your back, scalp, behind ears etc.
What to look for: A good way to remember is the acronym SCAN which stands for Sore, Changing, Abnormal and New.
Dermnet NZ - New Zealand based dermatology website
Melanoma New Zealand- NZ charity organisation
MelNet - The Melanoma Network of NZ
Scan Your Skin - further information on skin cancer risk and assessment
