Precancer is a lesion that can cause a malignant tumor to develop in certain instances.1 Not all lesions are precancerous, but only a doctor can determine with certainty whether a lesion is precancerous or not. This is why it is imperative that you see your doctor immediately if you see a new growth on your skin, especially one that has a different color, shape, size, or appearance than others you’re familiar with.
Presuming the possibility of a lesion being precancer, the sooner you identify it being precancer, the sooner you can begin treatment, and the lower the chances of developing skin cancer or the lower the chances of experiencing major complications from skin cancer if you have it already.
Types of Precancers
The most common type of precancer is an actinic keratosis, which is also known as a “solar keratosis.” An actinic keratosis is a lesion that has a scaly or crusty exterior and appears on your skin. Common places where actinic keratoses can be found include the following locations:
- Backs of the hands and forearms
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Bald scalp
- Ears
- Lips
- Face
Essentially, any location on your body that is frequently exposed to the sun is capable of having actinic keratoses on it. The locations mentioned above are especially prone because they often receive a great deal of sunlight and ultraviolet radiation, particularly when people are swimming, riding in automobiles, and laying out on the beach.
In its earliest stages, actinic keratoses are usually easier to feel than they are to see because they are often quite small. You’ll know that one is present on your skin by the feel of it; it feels a lot like sandpaper feels on your skin.
When you find one on your skin, you should see your doctor right away in order to have it checked out. You may think, “Ah, it’s just one – nothing to worry about.” This is the wrong approach because, often, there are many invisible, or subclinical, lesions on your skin when there is one or more visible ones on your skin.2
The Benefits of Treating a Precancer
No one likes to hear that he or she has cancer or even a precancer. This strikes at the mortality of a person, showing that a person is vulnerable to such a deadly and destructive disease. This is why many people will ignore any suspicious-looking moles or growths on their skin, telling themselves, “Oh, that’s nothing to be concerned about.” 
This is the mistake that many people make, and this delay in addressing the mole or growth can lead to greater complications from more invasive treatment to deal with a mole or growth that is precancerous or cancerous and a lower chance of successful treatment.
Sixty-five percent of all squamous cell carcinomas, a type of cancer that occurs when the cells in your skin start to change and become abnormal,3 began in lesions that were previously diagnosed as actinic keratoses. Lesions that were originally identified as actinic keratoses gave rise to basal cell carcinomas 36 percent of the time.4 Basal cell carcinomas are a type of slow-growing skin cancer that begins in the top layer of skin known as the epidermis.5
This shows that paying attention to and identifying precancers such as actinic keratoses can lead to the prevention of or easier treatments of skin cancer. Again, it’s important to reaffirm that skin cancer can be cured if it’s detected early enough and treatment is begun immediately.6
Many Treatments for Precancer
Another reason you should be willing to determine if you have precancer is because there are many methods of treatment for precancer if you do have it. Advancements in science have enabled doctors and hospitals to provide many effective treatments, including extracting the lesion via surgery, freezing the lesion, laser therapy, biological therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and more.7
There are even some creams and injections that make precancers more susceptible to light. These precancers are then struck with a laser, usually eliminating them. In fact, the success rate of photodynamic therapy is around 80%.
The Earlier You Pursue Treatment, The Easier It Often Is To Remedy
Many people make the mistake of ignoring any suspicious-looking moles and growths on the skin, thinking that that’s “just another mole or mark on the skin.” Unfortunately, that one you ignore could be the one that leads to you contracting skin cancer.
The fact is that the sooner you find out you have precancer, the sooner you can have treatment and the easier it will be to rid the potential cancer from your body. While not all precancers develop into skin cancers, many of them do, and treatment is more difficult and less effective the farther the skin cancer develops.
Therefore, examining your body regularly for new moles and growths or new colors, shapes, and appearances in old moles and growths is vital to protecting yourself from skin cancer. Any of these instances can indicate precancer – only your doctor can determine whether such an instance is precancer or not. If it is determined you have precancer, you can begin treatment of it sooner, which will only increase your chances of preventing or eliminating skin cancer.
References
1 Precancer – definition of precancer in the Medical dictionary – by the Free Online Medical Dictionary by Farlex. (2007). Definition from The American Heritage Medical Dictionary published by the Houghton Mifflin Company: medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/precancer
2 The Skin Cancer Foundation – Actinic Keratosis and Other Precancers | Actinic Keratosis. (2011). From The Skin Cancer Foundation: www.skincancer.org/actinic-keratosis-and-other-precancers.html
3 Squamous cell skin cancer: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2011, August 2). From U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000829.htm
4 The Skin Cancer Foundation – Skin Cancer Facts. (2011). From The Skin Cancer Foundation: www.skincancer.org/Skin-Cancer-Facts/#aging
5 Basal cell carcinoma: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (2011, August 2). From U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000824.htm
6 Skin Cancer Signs and Symptoms – WedMD | Pictures of Skin Cancer and Precancerous Lesions Slide. (2011, May 26). From WebMD: www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/slideshow-precancerous-skin-lesions-and-skin-cancer
7 Skin cancer: Treatments and drugs – MayoClinic.com. (2010, August 18). From MayoClinic.com: www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs
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