What is a Skin Tumor?

Skin tumors are cell proliferative diseases that occur in the skin and are a common disease. There are many new organisms that occur in intradermal or subcutaneous tissues. Clinically, they are divided into benign and malignant tumors. Malignant tumors can proliferate, cause metastasis, and are life-threatening, known as skin cancer.

Basic Information

English name

dermatotumour

Visiting department

Dermatology, Oncology

Common locations

skin

Contagious

no

Causes of skin tumors

Most of the causes are unknown, and there are congenital and acquired factors, such as moles (mainly pigmented moles) as congenital diseases. Skin cancer is caused by the synergistic effect of a variety of internal and external factors causing abnormal reactive proliferation of tissue cells. The external factors include chemical carcinogens, ultraviolet rays, ionizing radiation, and viral infections. Inherent factors include genetic factors, immune deficiency and so on. Ultraviolet radiation is known to be an important carcinogen for the skin. For example, the incidence of skin cancer in people close to the equator is higher than that far away from the equator. The melanin cells in the white people's epidermis produce less melanin and have a poor protection against ultraviolet rays, so the incidence of skin cancer is also higher than that of people of color. Preliminary research shows that carcinogenic factors such as ultraviolet rays first cause DNA damage in the nucleus. Due to internal defects in the body, the cell cannot repair the damaged DNA, which causes the replication of mutant DNA. If the body's immune system cannot reject or clear it in time Such mutated cells, that is, the body's immune surveillance function, are defective. Such mutated DNA cells will proliferate, become clones, and eventually lead to tumor formation.

Clinical manifestations of skin tumors

Symptoms

There are benign and malignant skin tumors. In general, benign tumors have a clear state, neat edges, smooth surfaces, and roughly symmetrical; histological examination of tumor cell nuclei have the same size and shape, and are arranged regularly. Although they can grow very large, their growth is not destructive, nor is it A transfer occurred. In contrast, the state of malignant tumors is unclear, the edges are irregular, ulcers and bleeding can occur on the surface, the tumor is asymmetric, the size and shape of the nucleus of the tumor cells are inconsistent, the arrangement is irregular, and the tumor is infiltrating and destructive. Growth will eventually occur.

2. Signs

(1) The malignant degree of skin malignancies is low. Most of them are carcinoma in situ (such as basal cancer, tumor cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease) or precancerous pathological changes (such as erythematous hyperplasia, keratosis of the skin). Such precancerous lesions are usually Relapse and metastasis are not easy (squamous carcinoma rarely has bloody recurrence and metastasis, and verrucous cancer will not metastasize through lymphatic metastasis).

(2) The development of skin malignancies is slow. Basal cancer tumor cell carcinoma sometimes develops for more than ten years. The first stage of mycosis fungoides can take up to 30 years, and it takes longer to develop to the tumor stage. Therefore, the death of patients with skin tumors The rate is low.

(3) The skin area of a person is relatively large. Adults usually reach 1.5 to 2 square meters. Even if a tumor is removed after surgery, the impact on other parts of the body is small and can even be neglected.

Skin tumor examination

Routine examinations include physical examination, blood routine examination, immune function examination, pathology examination, X-ray examination, B-ultrasound examination, CT examination, radionuclide examination and so on. Physical examination of skin diseases, microscopic examination of skin smears.

Skin tumor diagnosis

Can be diagnosed based on clinical manifestations and histopathological examination.

Differential diagnosis of skin tumors

Note the difference from skin cysts.

Skin tumor treatment

Skin tumors are a skin disease that is currently difficult to cure. The current treatments for skin tumors are as follows:

Surgical treatment

For early skin cancer, the radical cure rate can reach more than 95%.

2. Radiation therapy

Low-energy X-ray and electron beam mixed radiotherapy can be performed for those who have large tumors involving surrounding organs, or those who undergo palliative surgery or cannot be removed, and can also be used for brachytherapy.

3. Chemotherapy

For patients with large tumors involving surrounding organs, or palliative surgery, or those who cannot be resected, or those who have found distant metastases, they should be combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Skin tumor prevention

1. Develop good living habits and quit smoking and limit alcohol.

2. Don't eat too much salty and spicy food, and don't eat too hot, too cold, expired and spoiled food. Do not eat contaminated food, such as contaminated water, crops, poultry, fish eggs, moldy food, etc., to prevent illness from entering the mouth.

3. Maintain a good mentality to cope with stress, work and rest, and don't be overly tired.

4. Strengthen physical exercise, enhance physical fitness, exercise more in the sun.

5. Be regular in your life and develop good habits.

6. Do not bathe too often, and the rubbing intensity should be moderate.

7. Don't overdo artificial sunbathing. According to the British Medical Journal, users of artificial sunbeds are 20% more likely to develop skin cancer than non-users.