Types of Rare Skin Cancer

There are three main types of skin cancer to be concerned about--basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. Out of these three, basal cell is the most common and least serious. The other two are latent threats to the health and well-being of the unwary. Knowing the risks involved can help you to be more proactive in avoiding all types of rare skin cancers.

Skin Cancer

• According to the medical website Medline Plus, skin cancer (of any form) consists of the unchecked development of abnormal or mutant skin cells. Skin cancer is classified into different types depending on the original type of skin cell that becomes cancerous. Symptoms of skin cancer include irregularities in the skin's surface, including changes in coloration or size, and wounds or abnormalities that refuse to heal.

Melanoma

• Also per Medline Plus, out of the three main types of skin cancer, melanoma is the most rarely occurring. It is also the most deadly form of skin cancer, as it is the leading cause of death among all skin diseases. Risk factors for developing melanoma include age, light complexion, freckles across the upper back, a high number of extreme sunburns, and holding jobs that require outdoor labor.

Melanoma Subdivisions

• Melanoma is further subdivided into four more types of cancer, according to Medline Plus. Superficial spreading, nodular, lentigo maligna, and acral lentiginous. These are categorized by the initial appearance of the tumor. Out of these, superficial spreading is the most common type, while acral lentiginous is the least common, being more common in African-Americans than in any other ethnicity.

Treatments

• Treatment for melanoma and other rare forms of skin cancer usually involve a combination of two or more cancer-fighting techniques. The primary tool to remove rare skin cancers is surgery, which can be used to cut out the bulk of the infected tissue. This is normally followed up with radiation therapy or chemotherapy to eradicate any remaining traces of the cancer before it begins to spread anew, per the Mayo Clinic.

Considerations

• According to the American Cancer Society, the cure rate for rare skin cancer depends on the size of the original tumor, along with considering how far it has spread. In general, the more expansive the tumor, the more likely that the cancer will return even following a successful treatment. In cases where rare skin cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or to other places throughout the body, the likelihood of effectively forcing the cancer into remission drops to below five percent. For example, whereas the five-year survival rate for melanoma is higher than 90 percent if the disease is caught in the initial stages (stage I), the survival rate drops to under 20 percent if the disease has begun to metastasize (spread to other parts of the body, as occurs during stage IV of cancer).