Familiarising yourself with these five lesser-known symptoms of skin cancer can help with early detection, which is crucial to ensure you get the best prognosis possible
Skin cancer rates are predicted to rise to an all time high, so it’s crucial to know the signs and symptoms of the disease, so it can be caught in the earliest stages. Many people know the most common sign of melanoma skin cancer – new moles that are uneven in shape, contain a mix of colours, or a larger than usual in size, or existing ones that have changed in appearance.
Melanoma is the most serious form of the disease, so it’s great that the awareness to regularly check our moles is pretty cemented in the public consciousness.
Finally, whilst we know that new and changing moles can be a sign of melanoma, there are far less well-known symptoms of the most serious kind of skin cancer that can be hard to spot. This is because melanoma can spread around the body easily, so you may have unexplained symptoms that have nothing to do with your skin that are causing you concern. “Because melanoma can potentially spread to distant areas of the body, it can cause a variety of other symptoms depending on its location. For instance, melanoma near the lungs may lead to shortness of breath, while melanoma on the head can result in headaches or vision changes,” the Moffitt Cancer Centre explains.
Equally, the symptoms of non-melanoma skin cancer are far less well-known – and it’s also important to be aware of these to ensure that if you do develop the disease it is detected in its very earliest stages.
Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common kinds of non-melanoma skin cancer, and there are four early warning signs of these forms – that could so easily be overlooked or dismissed as another skin issue. It is never worth taking chances with your health, so you should familiarise yourself with these five easily-missed symptoms, and if any appear make sure you book an appointment with your GP and get them checked out, just to be on the safe side.
Firstly, a patch of scaly skin can be a sign of non-melanoma skin cancer – this might look simply like a wart, or even a scab, and will feel rough to touch and brown or red in appearance.
The second lesser-known symptom is all too easy to dismiss – a patch of irritated skin. It may seem like your skin is just a bit dry and feels itchy and irritated. This symptom is related to basal cell carcinoma, and – according to the Moffitt Cancer Centre – “this type of inflammation could be a sign that the body’s immune system is responding to a cancerous skin lesion.”
Another sign you should be on the lookout for is a ‘crater’ in your skin, these are “shallow volcanoes with blood-filled centres” that can appear with squamous cell carcinoma.
Open sores are also something you should be keeping an eye on. This might look like the kind of scab you get after a really severe sunburn – and they will likely be bloody sores, open or scabbed over – these need a medical examination, particularly if you are at high risk of developing skin cancer.
Per the NHS, the good news is that non-melanoma skin cancer is very treatable, and starts in the top layer of your skin. Most commonly, you get it from ultraviolet (UV) light, which comes from the sun or from tanning in sun beds. Those who are at the highest risk of developing it are older people, and those with paler skin. Equally, if you have ever had skin cancer before, this increases your chances of getting it again, so if you ever notice any persistent or unexplained changes to your skin then be sure to see your GP.
Many of these signs could very easily be another skin condition, or health issue at play, but you won’t lose anything by getting checked out.
Do you have a story to tell? Email: emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com
