Skin Cancer

Anyone who spends time in the sun can have skin cancer. People with fair skin, especially those with blond or red hair, are more likely to get skin cancer than people with darker coloring. People who have had a close family member with melanoma and those who had severe sunburns before the age of 18 are more likely to get skin cancer.

SCREENING AND PREVENTION - What you can do

Most skin cancers can be prevented by avoiding the midday sun. Be aware of all moles and spots on your skin, and report any changes to your doctor right away. Have a skin exam during your regular health check-ups.

Source: American Cancer Society - Cancer Facts: Men

RISK FACTORS

A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lungs, larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, esophagus, kidneys, bladder, colon, and several other organs.

But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several risk factors, does not mean that you will get the disease. And some people who get the disease may not have any known risk factors. The following are the risk factors for skin cancer:

• Ultraviolet(UV) UV light exposure
  Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a major risk factor for most skin cancers. Sunlight is the main source of UV radiation, which can damage the genes in your skin cells. Tanning lamps and booths are also sources of UV radiation. People with high levels of exposure to light from these sources are at greater risk for skin cancer, including melanoma.
• Moles
  A nevus (the medical name for a mole) is a benign (non-cancerous) melanocytic tumor. Moles are not usually present at birth but begin to appear in children and teenagers. Most moles will never cause any problems, but a person who has many moles is more likely to develop melanoma.
• Fair skin, freckling and light hair
  The risk of skin cancer is much higher for whites than for African Americans or Hispanics. The risk of melanoma is more than 10 times higher for whites than for African Americans. This is because skin pigment has a protective effect. Whites with red or blond hair or fair skin that freckles or burns easily are at increased risk. Red-haired people have the highest risk.
• Family history of melanoma
  Your risk of melanoma is greater if 1 or more of your first-degree relatives (mother, father, brother, sister, child) has been diagnosed with melanoma. Around 10% of all people with melanoma have a family history of the disease.
• Personal history
  A person who has already had melanoma has an increased risk of getting melanoma again. About 5% to 10% of people with melanoma will develop a second one at some point. Anyone who has had a keratinocyte cancer has a much higher chance of developing another one.
• Immune suppression
  People who have been treated with medicines that severely suppress the immune system, such as organ transplant patients; have an increased risk of developing melanoma. The immune system helps the body fight cancers of the skin and other organs. People with weakened immune systems (due to certain diseases or medical treatments) are more likely to develop non-melanoma skin cancer, particularly squamous cell cancer.
• Long-term or severe skin inflammation or injury
  Scars from severe burns, areas of skin over severe bone infections, and skin damaged by some severe inflammatory skin diseases are more likely to develop keratinocyte skin cancers, although this risk is generally small.
• Age
  Although melanoma is less related to aging than most other cancers, it is still more likely to occur in older people. But this is a cancer that is also found in younger people. In fact, melanoma is one of the most common cancers in people younger than 30. Melanoma that runs in families may occur at a younger age. The risk of basal and squamous cell skin cancers goes up as people get older.
• Gender
  In the United States, men have a higher rate of melanoma than women. Men are about 2 times as likely as women to have basal cell cancers and about 3 times as likely to have squamous cell cancers of the skin. This is thought to be due mainly to higher levels of sun exposure.
• Xeroderma pigmentosum
  Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare, inherited condition resulting from a defect in an enzyme that normally repairs damage to DNA. People with XP have a high risk for developing both melanoma, basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers at a young age.
• Exposure to certain chemicals
  Exposure to large amounts of arsenic increases the risk of developing skin cancer.
• Radiation exposure
  People who have had radiation treatment have a higher risk of developing skin cancer in the area that received the treatment.
• Psoriasis treatment
  Psoralen and ultraviolet light treatments (PUVA) given to some patients with psoriasis (a long-lasting inflammatory skin disease) can increase the risk of developing squamous cell skin cancer and probably other skin cancers also.
• Basal cell nevus syndrome
  This rare congenital (present at birth) condition causes multiple basal cell cancers. Most, but not all, cases are inherited.
• Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection
  Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) are a group of more than 100 viruses that can cause papillomas, or warts. The warts that people commonly get on their hands and feet appear to be unrelated to any form of cancer. But some of the HPV types, especially those that people get in their genital and anal area, appear to be related to skin cancers in these areas.
• Smoking
  People who smoke are more likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer, especially on the lips. Smoking is not a known risk factor for basal cell cancer.