What type of cells does skin cancer develop?
Most of the epidermis is made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Around 20% of skin cancers develop from these cells, and these cancers are called squamous cell carcinomas. Squamous cell carcinoma is mainly caused by sun exposure, so it may be diagnosed on many regions of the skin.
Is melanoma a small cell cancer?
Small cells can be observed in various neoplasms such as small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, and malignant melanoma. Small-cell melanoma, however, is a very rare type of malignant melanoma1.
Is melanoma cancer of pigmented cells?
Pigmented basal cell carcinoma occurs more commonly in patients with skin of color and may clinically resemble melanoma. Thus, the differential diagnosis of a black nodule or ulcerated black plaque should include pigmented basal cell carcinoma, in addition to melanoma.
What happens to the cell in melanoma?
Melanoma occurs when something goes wrong in the melanin-producing cells (melanocytes) that give color to your skin. Normally, skin cells develop in a controlled and orderly way — healthy new cells push older cells toward your skin’s surface, where they die and eventually fall off.
Is melanoma in situ considered cancer?
Although the cells are cancerous, they cannot spread to other parts of the body, so in situ cancers are not a cancer in the true sense. But if they are not treated, in situ cancers can develop into invasive cancer.
What is a non melanoma?
Non-melanoma skin cancer refers to a group of cancers that slowly develop in the upper layers of the skin. The term non-melanoma distinguishes these more common types of skin cancer from the less common skin cancer known as melanoma, which can be more serious.