Skin Cancers

Question 1

The most common cause of skin cancers is…

Answer 1

exposure to UV light

Question 2

Melanoma is the most common cancer in women of what age?

Answer 2

25-34

Question 3

What is seborrheic keratosis?

Answer 3

a hereditary benign proliferation of skin basal cells (look like crusty moles)

Question 4

What is actinic (solar) keratosis?

Answer 4

benign skin tumor resulting after many years of sun exposure; well-defined, crusty/sandpaper-like patches on chronically sun-exposed areas.

recognized by touch rather than sight.

Question 5

Actinic keratosis affects nearly ___% of the older caucasian population. They do/do not have a risk of developing into squamous cell carcinoma.

Answer 5

100%

they DO have a risk

Question 6

What increases the risk of a nevi transforming into a malignant melanoma?

Answer 6

constant irritation of the nevi

Question 7

Basal cell carcinomas rarely/frequently metastasize.

Answer 7

rarely

Question 8

80% of basal cell carcinomas come from…

Answer 8

excessive UV light exposure (sun or tanning salons)

Question 9

What type of tumor might this be?
slow-growing surface epithelial tumor - may look like a shiny, pearly, or translucent pink, red, or white bump. it may have a rolled border with an indented center, or it could be a red patch, a crusty, open sore that doesn’t heal, or a scar-like area.

Answer 9

basal cell carcinoma

Question 10

What is the second most common malignant skin tumor in Caucasians?

Answer 10

squamous cell carcinoma

Question 11

Burns, premalignant lesions like actinic keratosis, and chronic skin inflammation or irritation are all risk factors for…

Answer 11

squamous cell carcinoma

Question 12

What type of skin tumor might this be: poorly defined margins, flat area, ulcer, or cutaneous horn, with 80% showing up on the head and neck.

Answer 12

squamous cell carcinoma

Question 13

Malignant melanomas most frequently appear on the skin, but can also be found in/on the…

Answer 13

oral cavity
esophagus
meninges
eyes
anal canal

Question 14

ABCD of melanomas:

Answer 14

Asymmetry
Irregular Borders
Varied Colour
Delta (change)

Size larger than 6mm

Question 15

What are the 4 types of malignant melanomas?

Answer 15

superficial spreading (SSM)
nodular melanoma
lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM)
acral lengtiginous melanoma (ALM)

Question 16

What is the most common type of melanoma?

Answer 16

superficial spreading melanoma (75% of cutaneous melanomas)

Question 17

T/F: superficial spreading melanomas usually arise from a pre-existing nevus, are usually asymptomatic, and generally only appear in people over age 60.

Answer 17

everything except the age incidence is true.

most seen between people age 20-60

Question 18

T/F: the incidence of melanomas doubles every 10-20 years

Answer 18

true

Question 19

__% of malignant melanomas arise from a pre-existing nevus

Answer 19

70%

Question 20

If detected early, malignant melanomas are ___% curable.

Answer 20

100%

Question 21

What is kaposi’s sarcoma?

Answer 21

malignancy of vascular tissue that presents as skin disorders (directly related to AIDS-associated immunodeficiency) caused by Herpes (HHV 8) AKA kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpes virus (KSHV)

Question 22

What does Kaposi’s sarcoma look like?

Answer 22

occurs mostly on lower extremities: red, purple, or dark blue macules that can be mistaken for bruises or nevi early-on. slowly enlarge to become nodules or ulcers.