Skin Cancer
Types Of Skin Cancer
In an international comparison, Switzerland has one of the highest rates of new skin cancer cases. A distinction is made between malignant skin tumors and benign skin growths. With malignant skin cancer, a distinction is made between white skin cancer and the rarer but more dangerous black skin cancer, also known as melanoma.
Malignant Melanoma
Black skin cancer, also known as malignant melanoma, is more common in Switzerland than anywhere else in Europe. Over 3,000 people develop melanoma in Switzerland every year. Almost a quarter of the affected patients are under 50 years old.
In the early stages, black skin cancer does not cause any specific complications and symptoms. The disease is therefore often discovered by chance and only at an advanced stage. The most important measure for early detection is regular dermatological full-body checks (skin cancer prevention) by your dermatologist at sweet skin. Get your appointment today.
The costs of skin cancer screening are usually covered by your health insurance. Another effective means of early detection is self-observation and recognizing suspicious skin changes: About one third of all black skin cancers arise from birthmarks. The most important risk factors for the development of melanoma are frequent sunburn on light skin, the number of birthmarks (>100) and a melanoma history in the family.
Signs that a mole could be skin cancer include:
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Sudden growth of the mole
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Change in color
especially darker color or irregular colors
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Different appearance than all other birthmarks
"Ugly Duckling"
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Spontaneous bleeding, oozing, or itching of a mole
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Black skin cancer can also appear on the nail, in the mouth and in the genital area
Treatment
In almost all cases, the primary therapy used for melanoma is the rapid surgical removal of the tumor. This can usually be done under local anesthesia. In advanced stages, additional investigations and treatments are often required. Our dermatologists at sweet skin have many years of experience in the field of diagnosis and therapy as well as in the aftercare of malignant melanoma. Whenever necessary, we work closely with the melanoma center of the University Hospital Zurich, to be able to guarantee the best possible therapy for our patients.
White skin cancer
White skin cancer (or non-melanoma skin cancer) includes basal cell carcinomas, spinocellular carcinomas, Bowen's disease and the precursors thereof: actinic keratoses, bowenoid actinic keratoses as well as superficial basal cell carcinomas. In Switzerland, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people are diagnosed with a form of white skin cancer (basalioma or spinalioma) every year. Although it occurs much more frequently than melanoma, the course of white skin cancer is rarely fatal.
White skin cancer often occurs on areas of the skin on the face, nose, forehead, ears and lips that are heavily and regularly exposed to the sun. Especially for bald men, the scalp is often affected by white skin cancer.
Where does skin cancer occur?
Where can I get metastases from skin cancer?
Why is skin cancer prevention necessary?
Why does skin cancer arise?
White skin cancer occurs primarily on the areas of the face that are exposed to the sun: The nose, ears, forehead and lips are most commonly affected. The scalp is also particularly at risk in men with sparse hair growth. On the body, white skin cancer shows up mainly on the backs of the hands and on the torso.
Black skin cancer can basically occur on all skin areas as well as the mucous membrane. Gender differences are evident in the parts of the body where melanoma occurs: For men, melanoma is more likely to form on the torso, particularly the chest, back and shoulders, while for women it is most commonly diagnosed on the legs.
White skin cancer occurs primarily on the areas of the face that are exposed to the sun: The nose, ears, forehead and lips are most commonly affected. The scalp is also particularly at risk in men with sparse hair growth. On the body, white skin cancer shows up mainly on the backs of the hands and on the torso.
Black skin cancer can basically occur on all skin areas as well as the mucous membrane. Gender differences are evident in the parts of the body where melanoma occurs: For men, melanoma is more likely to form on the torso, particularly the chest, back and shoulders, while for women it is most commonly diagnosed on the legs.
Switzerland is the sad leader in new cases of melanoma in Europe. About 33 of every 100,000 people in Switzerland develop a melanoma each year. Melanoma is the 4th most common malignant tumor of all. 25% of the diagnosed patients are under 50 years old. In addition to self-monitoring coupled with an increased awareness of the problem of sun exposure, skin cancer prevention is the most important measure for detecting melanomas in the early stages of their development. If black skin cancer is discovered early, it is curable. In advanced stages, however, it is extremely aggressive and often fatal.
People over 60 with light skin and the habit of spending a lot of time outdoors also have a high risk of developing white skin cancer. Unlike melanoma, this is rarely fatal. However, it can have an extremely destructive effect locally, for example on the nose and ears as well as the scalp, which can necessitate extensive surgical interventions. In the early stages, white skin cancer can be treated very well with ice or lotions, without the need for surgical intervention.
Everyone is born with a kind of "sun account" - the peculiarity of which is that it can only be used up, but not refilled. The account balance at the time of birth is all the higher if the skin is dark, the tan is good, the number of birthmarks is few, and there is no family history of skin cancer. Naturally, people with very light skin, poor tanning, many birthmarks and who belong to a family in which cases of skin cancer have already occurred have a comparatively low account balance. Severe and frequent sunburn during childhood, as well as repeated exposure to the sun through leisure activities or doing work outdoors, put a strain on the sun account. If the account balance is too low, the UV radiation can cause damage to the genetic material (DNA) in the cell nucleus of the skin cells. Most of these damaged cells die or are repaired. If this is no longer possible due to the continuously declining account balance, the damaged cell can develop into a melanoma or white skin cancer.
In summary, it can be said that there is an increased risk of developing melanomas, except in the case of genetic predisposition, mainly due to previous exposure to severe sunburn caused repeatedly during childhood. While the risk of white skin cancer only increases after many years of frequent sun exposure and increasing skin aging looms.
Treatment
The treatment of white skin cancer strongly depends on the stage of the disease: The preliminary stages of white skin cancer can be treated well with the help of creams, freezing therapy or photodynamic therapy (PDT). Removal by means of superficial ablation or laser is also possible. If the basal membrane is exceeded, surgical removal of the tumor is indicated. In most cases, the treatment of choice is surgical removal of the tumor. As a rule, this can be done under local anesthesia - although it can make sense for certain indications to establish a short sleep anesthesia.
Depending on the size and location of the tumor, the wound can be closed directly with a suture after the procedure, i.e. stitched. In places with little tissue (e.g. nose, ears) or in the case of very large tumors, the resulting defect must be closed with a flap or skin transplant. At the center of every surgical intervention is a cosmetically and functionally excellent surgical result. All interventions are performed on an outpatient basis. If necessary, close wound controls are carried out by an experienced team at sweet skin. As specialists in the field of surgical dermatology, Dr. Bänninger and her team are not only qualified as dermatologists to make the right diagnosis and find the right form of therapy, but also to provide you with professional, competent and active help as reconstructive surgeons during an intervention and aftercare.
