Complete, Compassionate Care for All Skin Cancers
Skin cancer is the growth of abnormal skin cells. It’s the most common form of cancer. Skin cancer is very treatable with early detection and effective treatment from an expert care team, like our providers at St. Luke’s Center for Cancer Care.
The Commission on Cancer has accredited our center because of the quality of our care and our patient outcomes. We participate in a wide range of clinical trials to help our patients access the latest treatment options that aren’t widely available. Our team provides the same quality treatments as those available at large academic medical centers, but we often can see you weeks sooner. Our tumor boards allow our providers to work together on patients’ treatment options to ensure we’re providing the best possible care. And we coordinate your treatments so you spend less time waiting for care and more time receiving it.
Types of Skin Cancer We Treat
The three main types of skin cancer are:
- Basal cell carcinoma: This forms in the basal cells, located in the lower layer of the epidermis (the skin’s outer layer)
- Squamous cell carcinoma: This forms in the squamous cells, which are in the middle and outer layers of skin
- Melanoma: This forms in the cells called melanocytes, which produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color and helps protect against ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Other types of skin cancer we treat include:
- Kaposi sarcoma (also called Kaposi’s sarcoma): This type of cancer can cause tumors on the skin
- Merkel cell carcinoma: A rare, aggressive form of skin cancer that affects the Merkel cells of the skin (which connect to the nerves in the skin that allow the sense of touch)
- Sebaceous carcinoma: A rare form of skin cancer that starts in the sebaceous glands (which produce oil that protects the body from germs)
- Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP): A rare form of cancer that starts in the skin’s middle layer and may start in areas of the skin that have been burned or injured in the past
How We Diagnose Skin Cancer
It’s likely that the diagnosis and initial treatment process will start with a dermatologist. Your doctor will start by examining your skin in the area where we suspect skin cancer. If an area looks like it may be cancerous, we’ll need to perform a biopsy. This involves taking a sample of tissue from the area. A pathologist will examine the sample to decide if it’s cancerous, as well as what stage the cancer is in.
Skin cancer stages range from Stage 0 to Stage 4. Stage 0 and Stage 1 cancers are small and usually limited to the area where they first started. Stage 4 cancers, however, have spread to other areas of the body and are more advanced.
Our Skin Cancer Treatment Options
You and your doctor will work together to create a treatment plan based on your unique needs and goals. If the cancerous area is small, you may not need any treatment beyond the initial removal of tissue for the biopsy. However, if you need further treatment, we offer:
- Cryotherapy: Your doctor will use liquid nitrogen to freeze and remove the cancerous tissue.
- Excisional surgery: Your doctor will remove the cancerous tissue and the surrounding area of healthy skin to be safe.
- Mohs surgery: Your doctor will remove cancerous tissue layer by layer, examining each layer under a microscope, until no cancerous cells are left.
- Curettage and electrodessication: Your doctor uses a tool called a curet (a circular blade) to scrape away layers of cancer cells. Next, we use an electrified needle to destroy any cancer cells that remain.
- Medication therapy: We use medication therapy to destroy cancer cells. Your doctor may use creams, lotions or other medications directly on the skin for cancers that have not spread.
- Chemotherapy: If your cancer has spread, you may need pills, intravenous (IV) medications or other treatments.
- Radiation therapy: We may use beams of radiation to kill cancer cells, especially if we can’t remove them all during surgery.
- Photodynamic therapy: This treatment involves using medication to make your cancerous cells more vulnerable to light, along with special lasers to destroy those cells while leaving healthy cells alone.
Skin Cancer Symptoms
The most common symptom of skin cancer you’re likely to notice is a change in the way your skin looks. This typically shows up as a new growth or mole or a change in one you had before. This sort of skin area can appear as:
- A bump or patch of skin that looks pink, red or brown
- A bump that looks waxy or pearly
- A dark-colored sore or lesion on the skin
- A mole that changes in size, shape or color
- A mole that bleeds
- A scaly or crusty area of skin
- A sore or lesion that has an irregularly shaped border
- An area of the skin that looks like a scar
When you examine your body for new or unusual areas of skin, use the ABCDE rule:
- Asymmetry: An irregular shape
- Border: Irregular edges
- Color: More than one color or changes in color
- Diameter: Larger than a pencil eraser
- Evolution: Changing shape, color or size, or growing larger
If you notice any unusual areas of your skin, schedule an appointment with a dermatologist.
Skin Cancer Risk Factors
The following factors can increase your risk of developing skin cancer:
- High exposure to sunlight or UV light (e.g., tanning beds)
- Fair (light-colored) skin, including having naturally blond or red hair and light-colored eyes
- A history of one or more sunburns that blister the skin
- Having many moles
- Having moles that are irregularly shaped or larger than normal
- A family history of skin cancer
- A prior organ transplant
- Having a condition that suppresses the immune system, such as HIV/AIDs, or taking immunosuppressive medications (medications that suppress or weaken the immune system)
- A prior history of skin cancer