Skin cancer statistics
Skin Cancer Risks Catch Organ Recipients
Patients who have had organ transplants are known to be at a significantly higher risk of skin cancer than their same age counterparts who do not take immune suppressing drugs. But recently there have been a few cases where skin cancer has been transmitted because of the organ that was transplanted and so the new thought is that a person who has had melanoma, even if they have been cured, should not donate their organs.
Between the years 1994 and 2001 here have been over a hundred and twenty thousand transplants. Of these a mere twenty-four, only .000197 percent, contracted donor related cancer. Still for those patients, ten of who died, and their families, that was twenty-four too many. This is a very rare instance, and doctors had had thought it even possible.. Especially one of the donors had been cured of their melanoma sixteen years before they died and another eight years before their death. Both were multiple organ donors.
Doctors feel now that the melanoma cells had lain inactive in the organs for years, but that once they had been transplanted and the patient began their regimen of taking the immune suppressing drugs that this allowed for the resurgence of the melanoma cells and so the skin cancer was able to resurrect itself.
In one case a woman of forty-seven died. Her death was unrelated to cancer. Her family donated both her kidneys, forgetting to mention that sixteen years previously she’d had a minor bout with melanoma. One kidney was given to a man, the other to a woman, both in the fifties. Eighteen months after the transplant the woman was found to have melanoma, only a few months after that so was the man. Medical records were checked and the donor’s history was discovered. The woman died. The man was immediately taken off the immune suppression drugs and the kidney was removed. He was treated for melanoma and survived, though was back on dialysis.
This and another incident where a person donated their organs to four recipients and all of them were eventually diagnosed with skin cancer brings many new concerns to the practice of organ transplants. Potential recipients and their families have reason to be concerned when a life giving operation can turn into an unexpected and unnecessary death. This has lead to some changes in the way organ transplants are handled. This is being done primarily in the taking of clearer more accurate medical histories on those who are donating organs. One of the problems with this issue is that when someone is willing to donate the organs of a relative who has just passed away grateful physicians are very conscious of how emotional that decision is for the family without having to then be questioned on the relative’s earlier medical history. In deference to the family and the recipient sometimes the doctors are in too much of a hurry to save a life to remember to ask about previous medical conditions. This is changing.
Skin Cancer Statistics and Risks
Your skin is the single largest organ of the body. It covers every inch of the body protecting all the internal organs, the bones, the nerves and muscles. It works hard to protect the body from germs. Injury and keeps the fluid levels regulated inside your body. Your skin normalizes your body temperature, sweats to eliminate excess salts and fluids. It has a warning system, called pain, to keep you from getting hurt. All you have to do in return it protect it from harm. That seems a fair trade.
The best way for you to do this is to do everything you can to protect your skin from skin cancer. Every year over one million Americans are treated for skin cancer. One percent of these cancers are melanomas. Melanoma is the deadliest of the skin cancers but if caught and treated early the survival rates are quite encouraging with a ninety eight percent survival rate for a localized cancer. That means it has been caught before it has had time to spread.
It has a survival rate after five years of ninety two percent. This means that after five years ninety two percent of those treated for melanoma are still alive. This does not consider if they have had a reoccurrence of the cancer, are in remission or cured, just that they are still alive. Luckily over eighty percent of all melanomas are treated while still at the localized stage. The survival rates for melanomas that are only treated once they have spread are not as encouraging at sixty four percent. Still this is better than they were and one should always be encouraged to beat the odds.
Skin cancer has become the most common cancer to affect people in the United States and now accounts for half the cancer treated in an average year. Those most likely to contract skin cancer are those who are fair skinned, with blond or red hair and light colored eyes. You are also at a higher risk for it if you have a family history of skin cancer, had multiple severe sunburns in your childhood, and spend excessive amounts of time in the sun, especially at peck hours, with no sunscreen. As well, those who have jobs that expose them to coal tar, creosote or arsenic have an increased risk.
Also at a higher risk are those who have HIV, though they are more likely to develop Kaposi’s sarcoma, another deadly form of skin cancer. As well, those who have large dark colored birthmarks are at higher risk. These birthmarks are called congenital melanocytic nevus.
They key is spotting something that looks wrong or was not previously there and treating it quickly. Use self-examination every few months to help make ensure you can. But equally important is working hard to be smart about sun exposure and work hard on the prevention of skin cancer. Only you can take care of your body and limit the dangers of ultraviolet rays to your skin
Skin cancer statistics
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and therefore one of the most necessary diseases to watch for. The more you know about skin cancer, the better chance you stand of avoiding the risk factors and noting changes in your body that may be a sign of skin cancer. As knowledge is power, we’ve composed this article to help you understand some of the statistics behind this disease.
- More than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed per year, and the number continues to rise.
- There are actually three different types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. While the two carcinoma types can cause illness and damage to the body, it’s melanoma that really represents a risk to your livelihood. The carcinomas, when detected early and treated, have a cure rate of over ninety percent. Melanoma, on the other hand, is responsible for approximately seventy five percent of all skin cancer deaths. Melanoma, unlike the other skin cancers, is known to spread to other organs, most commonly the lungs and the liver. When diagnosed early, melanoma can be removed without too much trouble, but as time goes on, the chance for successful treatment decreases exponentially.
- While most people associate UV rays with only causing skin cancer, another problem that you need to be aware of is an increased chance of lip cancer faced by getting too much sun. For that reason, it is important to use a lip balm that contains an SPF value to protect yourself.
- Melanoma is the most commonly occurring type of cancer in those between the ages of twenty five and twenty nine. This is likely due to the lifestyle faced by this demographic, as sun equals a tanned appearance, which is often desirable to this age group.
- A study was conducted in Australia weighing the risk of the average Australian when it comes to skin cancer. Their results showed that the risk of developing skin cancer in males is approximately one in twenty five. In females the risk is roughly one in thirty four, accounting for a total chance of a human getting skin cancer being about one in twenty nine.
- A full eighty percent of all skin cancers that are diagnosed are non-melanoma skin cancers.
- A study by the American Cancer Society conducted in 2004 showed that approximately twelve people out of one hundred thousand are diagnosed with skin cancer.
As you can see, skin cancer is quite the common occurrence. While some skin cancers can be relatively harmless and easily removed, its not easy to be able to tell which type of skin cancer you may have until it is properly diagnosed. That is why it is important to keep track of your body and note any changes, since early detection is the key to eliminating even malignant skin cancer. It is one of the most curable types of cancer, so if you have any fear that you may be afflicted, talking to a doctor immediately is the best thing for you.
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