SKIN CANCER

Question 1

Skin cancer is the most ________ form of all cancers.

Answer 1

Common

Question 2

Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM)

Answer 2

Most common and most curable

Question 3

Lentigo maligno melanoma (LMM)

Answer 3

Commonly located on the face and found an elderly patients as flat, brown, irregular patches

Question 4

Moh’s surgery

Answer 4

Helps save healthy skin reduces scarring
Often used on head and neck
Cancerous and small surrounding removed
Patient waits and pathologist examines
It cancer found more tissue removed

Question 5

Curettage and electrodissection

Answer 5

Cancer scraped away, remaining cancer cells killed with electric needle, maybe scar so not used on face or visible areas

Question 6

Cryosurgery

Answer 6

Abnormal cells frozen and killed with liquid nitrogen, used for small basil or squamous cell cancers

Question 7

Skin creams

Answer 7

Chemotherapy cream treats small skin cancers on face or scalp

Question 8

Laser surgery

Answer 8

Vaporized cancer cells with laser, relatively new method, used for cancer close to skin surface

Question 9

Skin grafting and reconstructive surgery

Answer 9

May be needed if a large amount of skin had to be removed

Question 10

Processing cancer by the ABCDE rule

Answer 10

A – asymmetry
B – border irregularity
C – color change
D – diameter of 6 mm or more
E – evolving in appearance

Question 11

Malignant melanoma

Answer 11

5%, arising from melanocytes, can metastasized any organ, most deadly skin cancer, precise cause unknown

Question 12

Superficial spreading melanoma (SSM)

Answer 12

Most common type and most curable

Question 13

Lentigo maligno melanoma (LLM)

Answer 13

Commonly located on the face and found in elderly patients as flat, brown, irregular patches

Question 14

Acrallentiginous melanoma (ALM)

Answer 14

Appears on the soles, palms, mucous membranes, and terminal phalanges; more common and Asian people and people with dark skin

Question 15

Nodular melanoma (NM)

Answer 15

Occurs more often in men; believed to be a more aggressive type of melanoma that can develop and invade rapidly

Question 16

Actinic keratosis (Solar keratosis)

Answer 16

Occurs in sun exposed areas, premalignant form of squamous cell carcinoma, irregularly shaped, flat, slightly erythematous with indistinct borders and overlying hard keratotic scale

Question 17

Squamous cell carcinoma

Answer 17

20%, malignant neoplasm of keratinizing epidermal cells, less common, frequently occurs in sun exposed skin,
Early - opaque firm nodules with indistinct borders scaling and ulceration
Late - Covering of the lesion with scale

Question 18

Basal cell carcinoma

Answer 18

75%, Locally invasive malignancy arising from epidermal basal cells, most common, least deadly
Nodular and ulcerative - small slowly enlarging papule w translucent or “pearly” borders, erosion, ulceration and depression of the center
Superficial - erythematous, sharply defined, barely elevated multinodular plaques with varying scaling and crusting

Question 19

Signs of possible skin cancer

Answer 19

Oozing, bleeding, scaliness or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule.
Spread of pigmentation beyond border.
Change in sensation such as itchiness, tenderness or pain.
Change in size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth.