Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer

About a million americans will develop skin cancer this year. Skin cancer is

the most prevalent of all cancers, and it's increasingly on the rise. There are

millions of tiny cells that make up the human body. There are different kinds of

cells, but they all make new cells by a process that involves dividing in half. This

is how old cells are replaced with strong new cells. When a cells divides and

doesn't do the job that it was intended to do for the body, and then it continues

to divide and makes more of these "useless" cells, and these cells continue to

collect, it is called a tumor.

There are two types of tumors: benign and malignant. The cells in a benign

tumor can "crowd out" healthy cells, even though they can not spread to other,

and healthier, parts of the body (Ingraham 447). However, a malignant tumor is

cancer. A malignant tumor can also "crowd out " the healthy cells around it, but

in addition to thatt it can spread to other parts of the body and take over the

healthy cells in different areas of the body.

Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the outer layers of

skin. The skin has two main layers and several kinds of cells. The top layer is the

epidermis and it is the layer that is shed most frequently. The inner layer is

called the dermis and is thicker and contains blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles

and sweat glands (Seely Stephens Tate 145).

Cancer spreads by a group of cells or a single cell that breaks away from the

tumor and moves to other parts of the body. Once there, it'll divide and start

tumors, made of malignant cells, like the ones that mad up the first...

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...r successful treatment, people continue to remain at risk of developing

it again in the future. The most important thing that they can do is to protect

their skin from ultraviolet ray exposure and making sunscreen, with a high SPF

value, a life-long habit.

Bibliography:

Ingraham Ingraham. 1995.Introduction to Microbiology. Wadsworth

Publishing.California.447.

Seely, Stephens, Tate. 1998. Anatomy and Physiology 4th edition.Mcgraw-Hill

company.145.447.

Funk & Wagnall.1984. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary.Donnelly &

sons company.408.

Encarta Encyclopedia 98.1998. Encarta Encyclopedia 98. Microsoft. Cdrom Disc

1.

Barnes-Savarney, P.1995.Science Desk Reference. Macmillian publishing. New

York. 177

Ladies Home Journal.March 1999. Protecting your skin.33.