Sunscreen can help prevent sunburn that can cause itchy skin and cancer.
Itchy skin and cancer can be one of the first warning signs that sun damage has invaded healthy skin cells. Non-melanoma skin cancer commonly appears as a crusty area of skin that can be itchy. Itchy skin and a non-healing sore or lump that bleeds can also be a sign of cancer. Bowen’s disease is an early type of skin cancer that appears anywhere on the body, but is most common on the legs.
Skin cancer can occur on the hands.
There are two types of skin cancer: malignant melanoma and non-malignant melanoma. The connection between itchy skin and cancer in malignant melanomas usually appears on a wart anywhere on the body. The mole may change color and the edges become irregular.
The area around the mole may also be red or crusty, or it may bleed. They usually appear on the back, legs and shoulders. This is considered a serious type of skin cancer that requires early treatment to prevent its spread.
Itchy skin and sores that don’t heal can be a sign of cancer.
Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are usually slow-growing and appear as a red or pink bump that develops on the face, hands, back, ears, or scalp where the skin has been damaged by the sun. Cancer of this type is rarely seen in children, but childhood sunburn can cause the cancer to appear years later. It is more common in older adults and twice as many women as men suffer from itchy skin and cancer related to sun exposure.
Some medications and cancer treatments can cause skin rashes.
Some other types of cancer cause skin discomfort that can affect the whole body or certain areas. Up to a quarter of people with Hodgkin lymphoma complain of itchy skin and cancer symptoms. The itching may be more intense on the legs and trunk; doctors aren’t sure why this happens in some patients. Sometimes the itching goes away once cancer treatment begins. Other times, drugs used to cure cancer can cause itchy rashes all over the body or in certain places.
Health professionals advise that the best way to prevent cancer is to avoid excessive exposure to the sun, especially between 11 am and 2 pm, the period of maximum ultraviolet radiation. Sunscreens and clothing that protects the skin can prevent sunburn that can cause itchy skin and cancer later in life. The rays from tanning beds can also cause skin cancer.
Early treatment can cure most cases of skin cancer. Crusty areas of the skin may be removed to prevent cancer cells from spreading. Moles are usually removed, along with any surrounding affected tissue. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, surgeons usually remove them and use drugs to kill any remaining cancer cells. When surgery is not an option, chemotherapy and radiation may be used for cancer.
