Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Stages of Skin Cancer

It seems to me that most people don't really know very much about skin cancer. There are those who definitely fear it and may even overreact in protecting themselves.

Skin Cancer

But there are a large number of people who see some changes in their skin and just figure it will go away, in time. So they ignore it and in time it may just go away.

But the next time a change occurs on their skin, it may not go away. Still yet they may just live with it until it starts to become a matter of big concern.

And even then they may need some pushing from their spouse or a true friend to go have it checked out by a dermatologist and/or a qualified doctor of alternative medicine. You may even want to work with both.

Some skin cancers are slow growing and some can start to grow and spread quickly, even internally without you ever noticing a thing. All you ever notice is that small bump, crusty or discolored spot or lesions on the surface of your skin, not knowing what skin cancer stage it could be.

So in an effort to make you react right away when you see ANY little changes occur on your skin, I want to make it clear what the stages of skin cancer are.

Non-Melanoma Stages

• Stage 0: This is when cells are starting to form abnormally. They are precancerous, but have the potential to become cancerous. This is the very best time to react, when you see something Abnormal.
• Stage I: The abnormal cells have now become cancerous and the diameter of the lesion is less than 2 cm. (about the diameter of a pencil eraser). At this point it has not spread beyond the surface of the skin.
• Stage II: Now the cancerous area is greater than 2 cm. (about the size of a marble +). It still has not spread beyond the surface of the skin.
• Stage III: It has spread to other adjoining areas and you may not even be able to notice it. The regional lymph nodes now could be involved.
• Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other distant areas of the body and it could be involving internal organs.

Melanoma Stages

• Stage 0: Abnormal discolored cell will start to show up. It could be as simple as a dark colored mole.
• Stage I: Cancerous cells are now present. At this point they are less than 2 mm. thick. This is about the thickness of a quarter.
• Stage II: The cancerous spot is now between 2 and 4 millimeters in thickness (between 1 and 2 quarters placed together). They are still only confined to the skin.
• Stage III: The melanoma skin cancer has spread beyond the skin and now involves the lymph nodes.
• Stage IV: It has now gone even beyond the lymph nodes and reached such vital organs as the liver, lungs and brain.

So as you can see skin cancer is something everyone needs to be aware of and it's something you should take seriously. The skin cancer warning signs are there to tell you something.

Don't be afraid!...Just be aware!...and then react!

This may be copied in it's entirety, however you must include my website information.

I am a 20 year survivor of stage III squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer. So, much of what I say comes from my own experiences. If you want to learn more about skin cancer visit

http://www.skin-cancer-experiences.com/skin-cancer-warning-signs.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_H_Harmon

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3 comments:

  1. very true, cancer is a major concern in the U.S., but like all diseases that cause cancer are painful and require medication such as hydrocodone to control chronic pain.

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  2. This blog is great source of information which is very useful for me. Thank you very much.
    LEARN MORE ABOUT SKIN CANCER.

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  3. This is a great post. I was looking for something like this and you gave me what i was looking for.


    Skin Cancer Treatment

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