3. EPIDEMIOLOGY SKIN CANCER
• Two major types: Malignant melanoma & Non malignant melanoma
(80-85 % of non-melanoma skin cancers are BCC and SCC).
• SCC is more dangerous and responsible for many deaths.
• Skin cancer in early stage can be cured easily by simple procedures or
techniques but advanced skin cancer cannot be treated effectively by
any medications so there is a need to detect and treat disease at
early stage.
• Over all, 80 % of skin cancers are BCC, 16 % are SCC and 4 % are
melanoma.9
5. RISK FACTORS OF SKIN CANCER
• UV Radiations (UVA more dangerous than UVB).
• Works outdoors
• UV sunbeds
• Tannings
• Sunburns
• Cigarettes
• Organ transplants (especially kidney) from HIV
• Some treatments using UV
• HPV
• Hearts medication (Gupta et al, 2017)
16. TREATMENTS OF SKIN CANCER
NO THERAPY PURPOSE
1 Surgery Most BCC and SCC are successfully treated with surgery, early stage of
melanomas are also cured.
2 Radiation therapy When cancer is widely spread, recurred, and not possible for surgery
3 Chemotherapy Attacks cancer cell by drugs throughs bloodstream or mouth
4 Photodynamic therapy (PDT) Drug to make skin cells sensitive to light then the affected skin is
exposed to laser light which activates drug which kills cancer cells
5 Immunotherapy Immunotherapy is the emerging new type of treatment that stimulates
a person’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells
more effectively.
6 Targeted Therapy Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other
substances to attack cancer cells.. Targeted therapies usually cause less
harm to normal cells than chemotherapy or radiation therapy do
18. Sun-protection behaviours
1. Avoiding direct sunlight exposure (particularly between 11am and
3pm)
2. Using sun-protective clothing, hats and sunglasses when exposed to
direct sunlight for longer than 15 minutes
3. Using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum sun protection
factor (SPF) of 30.
4. Get adequate vitamin D
19. NURSING SPECIALIST ROLES
• Coordinating treatment and services
• Personalising care throughout the patient pathway
• Ensuring complex information is understood
• Offering support for patients and their families
Nurses are also well placed to assess patients for holistic care needs
and provide psychosocial support.
20. SKIN CANCER PATIENTS’ PROBLEM
• Patients’ psychological adjustment to scarring and disfigurement
• Patients’ ability to cope
• How amount of social and family support to patients
• Degree of pain
• Length of hospital stay
• Loss of occupation
• Levels of anxiety
• Concern about physical appearance.
21. REFERENCES
• Alexander RL (2012) Skin cancer 2: causes and groups at risk. Nursing
Times; 108: 29, 23-25.
• Hodgetts J (2013) Causes and treatment of malignant melanoma. Nursing
Times; 109: 28, 12-15.
• Silpa, S.R & Chidvila, V. (2013) A review of skin cancer.
Int.Res.J.Pharm.4:8,83-88.
• Gupta,A.K., Bharadwaj,M., Mehrotra,R.(2016) Skin cancer concerns in
people of color: risk factors and prevention. Asian Pac J Cancer Rev. 17:12,
5257-5264.
• Appala, Z., Nashan, D., Weller,R.B., Castelsague X.(2017) Skin Cancer:
Epidemiology, Disease Burden, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and
Therapeutic Approaches. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb),7 : Suppl 1, S5–S19
Editor's Notes
Environmental exposure (UV light) + genetic susceptibility (CDKN2A, CDK4, MC1R, BRAF, p16/ARF genes) → accumulation of genetic mutations in melanocyte that activate oncogenes, inactivate tumour suppressor genes and impair DNA repair → melanocyte proliferation, blood vessel growth, tumour invasion, evasion of immune response, metastasis.
UVA rays have an important role in the carcinogenesis of stem cell of the skin, and UVB rays induce DNA damage through inflammatory responses and tumorigenesis
