Radiation Therapy for Skin Cancer

What is Skin Cancer?

• The skin is the body's largest organ. Its job is to protect internal organs against damage, heat and infection. The skin is the organ most exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and other forms of damage from the environment.
• About 90 percent of skin cancers are associated with damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
• More than half of our life-time UV exposure occurs after the age of 40, so continued skin protection is very important.
• As the skin becomes damaged, it may develop into precancerous lesions. The risk of an actinic keratosis lesion transforming to skin cancer is very small. However, the risk is higher for patients who have many of them on their skin.
• Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that make up the skin. Skin cancer can come from  specific types of cells: basal cells, squamous cells, pigment cells (melanocytes), or other accessory skin cells.
• Any new growth or change in appearance should be evaluated by a physician for possible skin cancer. Worrisome signs include the ABCDE mnemonic:
• Asymmetry: Normal freckles are typically symmetrical from side to side, but skin cancers may look different on one side than the other side.
• Border: irregular, blurry, or jagged edge.
• Color: Normal moles are typically just one color, but skin cancer may vary in color or hue from area to another, with shades of black, brown, tan, blue, red or white.
• Diameter: Areas larger than a pencil eraser (1/4 inch or 6 millimeters).
• Elevation: Normal moles are typically flat and flush with skin, but skin cancers may be raised above the surrounding skin, and have an uneven surface.
• More than 2 million people will be treated for skin cancer in the United States this year, and more than one in five adults may develop skin cancer during their lifetime.