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Skin Cancer

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Skin Cancer Objectives

  • Describe what a tumor is and how cancer cells can spread.

  • Compare three different types of skin cancer.

  • List the warning signs used to detect skin cancer and explain why it is beneficial to have a medical professional make a diagnosis.

Cancer is a group of diseases in which cells have an increase in mitosis and a decrease in apoptosis.

You can select the closed captioning “cc” option if you would like to see the text.

In all cancers, cell undergo excessive mitosis, producing large numbers of cells.  The cell type that originally mutated (changed genetically) impacts the type of cancer that develops.
The basal keratinocytes lie at the bottom of the epidermis, directly above the dermis.  This skin cancer is the most common and least deadly as it rarely metastasizes (spreads).

Basal Cell Carcinoma

The basal keratinocytes lie at the bottom of the epidermis, directly above the dermis. This skin cancer is the most common and least deadly as it rarely metastasizes (spreads).
The flattening keratinocytes higher in the epidermis are called squamous cells and they can also mutate and become cancerous.  This  skin cancer is less common than basal cell, but more likely to metastasize.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The flattening keratinocytes higher in the epidermis are called squamous cells and they can also mutate and become cancerous. This skin cancer is less common than basal cell, but more likely to metastasize.
Melanocytes in the epidermis can also mutate.  "Malignant" means capable of spreading, and this skin cancer is the least common, but most likely to metastasize.

Malignant Melanoma

Melanocytes in the epidermis can also mutate. “Malignant” means capable of spreading, and this skin cancer is the least common, but most likely to metastasize.
1b4 Skin Cancer

Any person’s skin cells can develop mutations that may lead to cancer.  Check your skin at regular intervals and see a health care professional if wound does not heal or a skin feature appears unusual.

Cover Up

Regardless of the amount of melanin pigment in your epidermis, protect your skin.

Can’t get enough of the integumentary system?  We have additional videos in this guide’s resource page.
This is the end of the Integumentary Guide.  Material from the guide and corresponding lecture, as well as the previous Discovery & Cells Guide, are assessed on the weekly Canvas quiz, due by Sunday night.
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Check your knowledge.  Can you:
  • describe what a tumor is and how cancer cells can spread?

  • compare three different types of skin cancer?

  • list the warning signs used to detect skin cancer and explain why it is beneficial to have a medical professional make a diagnosis?

Go back to the Skin Page

Go back to the Integumentary Guide Overview

Integumentary Lecture Guide Contents

The material from this guide and corresponding lecture is assessed on the weekly quiz.

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This week’s overview

This Guide

Integumentary

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