[현대건강신문] Skin wounds are often taken lightly. However, if the wound does not heal well and repeats for a long time, it is necessary to suspect skin cancer.
Skin cancer refers to a malignant skin disease occurring on the skin that becomes cancer. There are three main types of skin cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, the most common, and melanoma, the most malignant.
Recently, the incidence of skin cancer is increasing, especially among the elderly, due to a longer lifespan and frequent outdoor activities. The incidence of skin cancer is increasing, but I tried to correct the misunderstandings and prejudices that confuse people due to the low level of understanding, with Professor Kang Sang-yoon of the plastic surgery department at Kyunghee University Hospital.
Can skin cancer be easily self-diagnosed?
In the case of skin cancer, self-diagnosis is not easy. Instead, if there is a problem with the skin that does not heal within a short period of time or if the symptoms are repeated or prolonged, it is most important to visit a hospital and perform a biopsy of the area to determine whether it is cancer or not.
Making a decision on your own through the Internet or data search and delaying treatment and finding it late can have fatal consequences.
Skin cancer has nothing to do with plastic surgery?
Because it is a skin-related disease, dermatology is considered first, but plastic surgery is mainly in charge of skin cancer surgery.
In plastic surgery, surgery is performed with the goal of cosmetically and functionally complete reconstruction along with the removal of cancer cells. The important thing during surgery is to remove as much tissue as possible to minimize recurrence, but to minimize removal of normal skin tissue to reduce scarring.
Can skin cancer be treated with ointment?
Nowadays, there are ointments for the treatment of skin cancer. However, the actual use of ointment is only used in very early skin cancers or when surgery cannot be done.
For skin cancer, it is most effective to first remove the cancerous lesion through surgery. Surgical treatment is performed first, and then additional radiation or chemotherapy is planned depending on the presence or absence of metastasis.
Does skin cancer surgery require general anesthesia?
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not unconditional. Surgery is performed under general anesthesia, local anesthesia, and sedation, depending on the patient’s condition. Local anesthesia is used for elderly patients or patients who want quick surgery in that the preparation process is faster than general anesthesia and it is possible to precisely observe blood pressure and pulse.
Although surgery can be performed under local anesthesia, sedative anesthesia is used for young patients who are afraid of surgery, which prevents them from remembering the situation during the operation.
Is the survival rate of skin cancer low?
The survival rate of skin cancer varies depending on the type of skin cancer, so it cannot be said that it is unconditionally low.
In the case of basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, the 5-year survival rate is more than 97%. In other words, the survival rate increases with surgery.
However, if symptoms are neglected or discovered late, the cancer spreads or metastasizes, causing pain in the patient’s daily life and increasing the scope of surgery. Above all, it is important to detect and treat early because the survival rate is low. [경희대병원 성형외과 강상윤 교수]
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