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What are the common types of skin cancer?

What is skin cancer? 

Skin cancer occurs when skin cells grow abnormally, often after the skin is exposed to the sun. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer anywhere in the world. This is due largely to our climate, the fact that many of us have fair skin, and our proximity to the equator (high UV levels). 

How many types of skin cancer are there? 

There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Other, less common types of skin cancer, include:

  • Kaposi sarcoma is a rare form of skin cancer that develops in the skin’s blood vessels and causes red or purple patches on the skin or mucous membranes.
  • Merkel cell carcinoma causes firm, shiny nodules that occur on or just beneath the skin and in hair follicles. Merkel cell carcinoma is most often found on the head, neck and trunk.
  • Sebaceous gland carcinoma is an uncommon and aggressive cancer originating in the oil glands. Sebaceous gland carcinomas, usually appearing as hard, painless nodules can develop anywhere, but most occur on the eyelid.

Read on to learn more about the three major types of skin cancers, their signs and treatment.

Basal Cell Skin Cancer 

What is Basal Cell Skin Cancer? 

Basal cell skin cancer occurs in the basal cells, a type of skin cell that produces new cells as the old ones die. Basal cell skin cancer is the most common form of skin cancer. 

What are the signs of Basal Cell Skin Cancer? 

Basal cell skin cancer usually occurs in sun-exposed areas of your body, such as your neck or face. It usually presents as a small, clear bump on the skin. Basal cell carcinoma may appear as a:

·   Bump with a pearly appearance

·   Flat brown or flesh-coloured lesion

·   Bleeding or scabbing sore 

How is basal cell skin cancer treated? 

Basal cell skin cancer is often treated with surgery to remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it. Surgical options include:

  • Surgical excision: in this procedure, your doctor cuts out the cancerous lesion and a surrounding margin of healthy skin. The margin is examined under a microscope to be sure there are no cancer cells.
  • Mohs surgery: during Mohs surgery, the doctor removes the cancer layer by layer, examining each layer under the microscope until no abnormal cells remain. 

Squamous cell skin cancer

What is Squamous Cell Skin Cancer? 

Squamous cell skin cancer is the second most common form of skin cancer, after basal cell skin cancer. Squamous cell skin cancer is characterised by abnormal, accelerated growth of squamous cells, located near the surface of the skin. 

What are the signs of squamous cell skin cancer?

Squamous cell skin cancer usually occurs on sun-exposed areas of the body, such as the face, ears and hands. People with darker skin are more likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer on areas that aren’t often exposed to the sun. Squamous cell carcinoma may appear as a:

·       Firm red nodule

·       Flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface

How is squamous cell skin cancer treated?

Most squamous cell skin cancers can be completely removed with relatively minor surgery. Surgical options include:

  • Curettage and electrodessication: a procedure to remove the surface of the skin cancer with a scraping instrument (curet) and then searing the base of the cancer with an electric needle.
  • Laser therapy: an intense beam of light vaporizes growths, usually with little damage to surrounding tissue and with a reduced risk of bleeding, swelling and scarring.
  • Freezing: this treatment involves freezing cancer cells with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery). It is the preferred option for treating superficial skin lesions. 

Melanoma skin cancer 

What is melanoma? 

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in the melanocytes – a cell that produces and contains the pigment called melanin. Melanoma skin cancer is much less common than basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers, however, it is far more dangerous as it is much more likely to spread to other parts of the body if it’s not caught early.

What are the signs of melanoma? 

Melanoma tumours are usually brown or black, but they can also appear pink, tan or even white. They can look like:

·       A large brownish spot with darker speckles

·       A mole that changes in color, size or feel or that bleeds

·       A small lesion with an irregular border and portions that appear red, pink, white, blue or blue-black

·       A painful lesion that itches or burns

How is melanoma treated? 

Surgery is the most common treatment for melanoma skin cancer, however its purpose varies depending on how far the cancer has progressed. For later-stage melanoma skin cancer, surgery is used as a diagnostic tool to assess how far the cancer has spread. Patients may require more invasive surgery to remove lymph nodes.

How can you prevent skin cancer?

You can lower your risk of developing skin cancer by following some sun safety tips:

  • Avoid exposing your skin to the sun, and don’t tan!
  • Wear protective clothing like long sleeve shirts and wetsuits in the water.
  • Wear sunscreen every day, even if it’s overcast. A broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays should be reapplied every 2 hours when your skin is exposed to sun.

Avoid peak times of 12pm-2pm when the sun is at its highest, find a shady spot during this time.

What skin cancer research has ACRF funded?

In 2019 ACRF awarded $9.9M to the Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, to establish the Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID). ACEMID aims to reduce the annual melanoma death toll by using sophisticated 3D imaging systems to produce whole-body scans that can be monitored over time. These scans create patient ‘avatars’, enabling melanoma to be detected earlier.

In addition to the $10M of ACEMID funding, ACRF has funded $7.08M in brilliant skin cancer research in Australia and provided seed-funding of $5M to Westmead Institute for Cancer Research to construct 2 word-class melanoma research laboratories in 2011.

New skin cancer research facilities and technology are innovating the way we prevent, detect and treat skin cancer. Your support is integral in bringing us closer to a world without cancer. The good news is, you can help back brilliant cancer research by donating today

10-year trial of melanoma vaccine shows most promising outcomes to date

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered a new trial vaccine which offers the most promising treatment to date for advanced melanoma.

Known as ‘vaccinia melanoma cell lysate’ (VMCL), this new trial treatment was given regularly to 54 South Australian patients with advanced, inoperable melanoma over a 10-year period. The vaccine has been found to increase patient survival rates, with the ability to stop or reverse the cancer in some patients.

Continue reading “10-year trial of melanoma vaccine shows most promising outcomes to date”

Starving cells could treat one of Australia’s deadliest diseases

Australia has the highest rate of melanoma, globally. It is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and is the third most common cancer type in Australia.

But Australian researchers at the Centenary Institute have bought hope to this statistic through the discovery that we could potentially treat, and even cure, melanoma by cutting off its food source.

Last year the same team of researchers, led by Professor Jeff Holst, showed they could starve prostate cancer cells. This discovery has opened up the prospect of a class of drugs that could treat a range of cancers, including melanoma, in the same way.

Continue reading “Starving cells could treat one of Australia’s deadliest diseases”

Research news: spring 2012 edition

Current cancer researchIn the Spring edition of the Research Review:

  • Researchers have found a target for treating up to 50% of childhood cancer cases.
  • An ambitious Melanoma Genome Project has launched, with the aim of identifying all common mutations within melanoma cancers.
  • The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard has officially opened the world-class Kinghorn Cancer Centre in Sydney.

New drug could boost brain cancer survival

Melanoma discovery at Westmead Institute for Cancer ResearchAustralian researchers have reported promising results from a new drug which could help prolong the life of people diagnosed with one of the most deadly forms of brain cancer.

Until now, patients with advanced melanoma that has spread to the brain have received a dire diagnosis. They survive only for an average of four months.

But cancer researchers at the University of Sydney, Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney’s Westmead Hospital and the ACRF-funded Westmead Millennium Institute, have for the first time found a drug which shrinks brain tumours in these patients with advanced melanoma.

Dr Georgina Long of the University of Sydney said the drug, called Dabrafenib, works by targeting a gene mutation found in many melanoma cancers. The drug works by causing the cell to stop multiplying and in many cases it shrinks and disappears. Continue reading “New drug could boost brain cancer survival”

Advanced Melanoma – New treatment has the potential to double survival time

One of the first new melanoma treatments to be released in over a decade could double the average survival time for melanoma patients.

The drug, Vemurafenib, was approved by regulators in the United States and Australia last year after studies showed that in a significant number of patients with advanced melanoma, the cancers either stopped growing or shrank after receiving the treatment.

The latest research now shows that in many cases, treatment with Vemurafenib has doubled cancer patients’ survival period from 6-10 months to approximately 16 months. Continue reading “Advanced Melanoma – New treatment has the potential to double survival time”

ACRF awards $9 million to world-class cancer research!

Last night the ACRF was proud to award $9 million in grants to three cutting-edge cancer research centres who are doing truly fantastic work here in Australia.

The awardees were selected after a thorough investigation by our Medical Research Advisory Committee (which consists of 13 esteemed Australian cancer researchers and is chaired by Professor Ian Frazer, co-creator of the cervical cancer vaccine).

In May of this year, ACRF received a total of 16 applicants for its cancer research grants. From these candidates, five were selected for further assessment , and yesterday, having conducted extensive site visits and interviews, the Committee made their final recommendations to the ACRF Board of Trustees.

The grants will be used exclusively to fund state-of-the-art technologies and facilities which speed up discoveries in our fight against cancer – ultimately working to save lives by saving time. Continue reading “ACRF awards $9 million to world-class cancer research!”