The LookOut  
Health News  A service of Saint John's Health Center
   
 

Ask the Doctor at Saint John’s: How to Spot and Treat Skin Cancer

Q: I have a suspicious-looking mole on my back. How do I know if it’s skin cancer or not?

A: By Richard Essner, M.D., a surgeon and melanoma specialist at the John Wayne Cancer Institute (JWCI) at Saint John’s Health Center.

About one in six Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime, with most medical experts placing the fault on increased sun exposure and depletion of the earth’s protective ozone layer. The three most common types of skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Fortunately, most people with skin cancer will develop the non-melanoma types, which are usually benign and can be treated easily.

For a growing number of people, the risk of developing melanoma is becoming a real threat. According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma has the most rapidly increasing incidence of any cancer, and it’s currently the eighth most common malignancy in the United States alone. Most patients can be cured of their disease, but unlike other skin cancers, the initial treatment is critical.

Any change in the size, shape or color of a skin spot should be considered a warning sign and checked by your physician. Basal cell cancers are usually pinkish in color, nodular in appearance and can bleed as they grow. Squamous cell cancers have a scaly rash appearance. Melanoma usually are black and purple; some are flat and many are irregular in shape and color.

If you look at any mole, you’ll notice that almost all have some irregularity. In fact, most moles are not perfectly round in shape. Moles that change and appear to be growing are better indicators of a potential melanoma than shape or color alike.

Surgery is considered the first course of treatment for treating primary tumors such as melanoma. Basal and squamous cell carcinomas can be treated by a variety of methods, including surgery, freezing, topical ablative agents and occasionally laser treatment. Aldara is an FDA-approved topical cream available to treat early basal cell cancers.

For more information about Dr. Essner or other Saint John’s services, please call (310) 829-8990. For information about skin cancer, please visit the John Wayne Cancer Institute website at www.jwci.org. For a physician referral or a second opinion, please call 1-888-ASK-SJHC or visit Saint John’s website at www.stjohns.org.

In addition, to learn about a variety of health and lifestyle issues, be sure to tune into “Coffee Break,” a weekly, live television show broadcast Wednesdays at 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Santa Monica City TV Channel 16 and LA City TV Channel 36.
Health News is provided by Saint John's Health Center and covered under their copyrights