RTH 205 Chapter 36 Skin Cancer

What is the average weight of skin?

10-12 pounds

The layers of the skin, starting with the most superficial to the deepest are: 1. Subcutaneous Layer 2. Epidermis 3. Dermis 4. Basement Layer

2,3,1,4

Melanoma is __ times more common in whites than in African Americans.

20

What percent of skin cancers are preventable if people used the correct protection from the sun's rays?

90%

Melanocytes are found in the _____ layer of the skin stratum.

Basale

With the use of shielding to protect the eye during irradiation, can be minimized by:

Coating the outer surface of the shield with a low atomic number material, such as wax

What kind of nevi contain melanocyte clusters in the dermis and epidermis called? These nevi appear small, well circumscribed, slightly raised papules that often contain excess hair.

Compound Nevi

What is the name given to moles that are atypical?

Dysplastic nevi

What is the epithelial layer of the skin called?

Epidermis

What is the main triggering mechanism for skin cancer?

Exposure to UV light

What kind of nevi are small, well circumscribed, dome-shaped lesions that range from flesh to brown. These also contain excess hair.

Intradermal nevi

What kind of nevi tend to be small (usually <6 mm), well circumscribed, flat lesions with smooth surfaces that are uniformly brown or black and circular.

Junctional Nevi

The disease that is occasionally treated with total skin irradiation with electron is:

Kaposi Sarcoma

True or False: The use of kilovoltage x-rays allows the target volume to be covered with a smaller field size compared with a field that produces similar effects near the skin through the use of electrons.

True

What type of UV rays are thought to cause cancer by the damaging DNA and its repair systems, which results in mutation that may lead to cancer; UVA or UVB?

UVB

What is a genetic condition caused by a defect in mechanisms that repair DNA damage caused by UV light, characterized by the development of pigment abnormalities and multiple skin cancers in body areas exposed to the sun called?

Xeroderma Pigmentation

What are the three main types of melanocytic nevi?

junctional, compound, and intradermal nevi

What layer of the epidermis contains melanocytes?

stratum basale (basal layer)

What is the treatment of choice for melanoma skin cancers.

surgery

Is skin cancer reported to cancer registries?

No this makes the actual number of new cases every year difficult to estimate.

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Cure rate is higher than 90%.

Nonmelanoma

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Most prevalent form of skin cancer.

Nonmelanoma

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Easily treated with surgery or radiation therapy and is unlikely to metastasize if managed early.

Nonmelanoma; Basal Cell

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: More common in men.

Nonmelanoma; pg 753

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: A sore taking longer than 3 weeks to heal.

Nonmelanoma; pg 758

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Mohs surgical technique is the preferred surgery.

Nonmelanoma; pg 767

True or False: People with many moles or nevi have a higher risk of developing melanoma.

True

True or False: The skin is the largest organ in the body.

True

Where does melanoma arise from?

Melanocytes which grow in clusters to form a mole, or nevus.

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Borders of the lesion are uneven.

Melanoma

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Sentinel lymph node status is crucial.

Melanoma

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Surgery is the treatment of choice.

Melanoma

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Systemic therapies are commonly employed.

Melanoma

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: UV light is the major factor responsible for its development.

Melanoma and Nonmelanoma; pg 753

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Can spread through the lymphatic system.

Melanoma, but it is important to note that Merkel's Cell and some Squamous Cell carcinomas can as well.

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Is the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Melanoma; pg 752

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: The person who primary stays indoors and receives occasional and intense sun exposure is at risk.

Melanoma; pg 753

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Develop as a result of a nevus.

Melanoma; pg 754

Melanoma or Nonmelanoma: Is radioresistant.

Melanoma; pg 769

What is the technique called when the tumor is removed and examined one layer at a time?

Mohs surgery

Tanning of the skin in the treated area after a course of radiation therapy is caused by:

Simulation of the melanocytes

What are the five layers of the epidermis?

Stratum Basale (base layer), Stratum Spinosum (spiny layer), Stratum Granulosum (granular layer), Stratum Lucidum (clear layer), Stratum Corneum (horny layer)

What is the layer of the epidermis that contains cells that are most sensitive to radiation?

Stratum basale

What are moles called when they develop later in life?

common acquired nevi

What are moles called when they are present at birth?

congenital melanocytic nevi