Age spots are common among elderly people who have made a living farming, but such brown marks can also be a symptom of skin cancer, as in the case of an 80-year-old farmer from Greater Taichung, a plastic surgeon warned recently.
The man, surnamed Liu (劉), has been farming for nearly six decades, so when a dark brown spot appeared on his nose, he dismissed it as an age spot caused by long-term exposure to sunlight, according to Tung’s Taichung Metroharbor Hospital plastic surgeon Chen Shih-yi (陳世宜).
“After the spot gradually swelled and grew larger, Liu approached me asking to have the mark removed with a laser device. However, as the spot looked suspicious, I ordered a biopsy that later confirmed it to be a basal cell carcinoma,” Chen said.
As it was detected early, the carcinoma was surgically removed and there has yet to be any sign of recurrence or metastasis, Chen said.
Chen said basal cell carcinoma is one of the three major types of skin cancers, along with squamous carcinoma and malignant melanoma, but it is the most common type.
“Basal cell carcinoma has a relatively low risk of metastasis and is primarily triggered by long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays, which is why 80 percent of cases are on the face and neck,” Chen said, adding that farmers, fishermen and outdoor workers are high-risk groups for this kind of cancer.
Chen said exposure to artificial ultraviolet radiation, tanning lights, or substances such as asphalt and tar can also increase the risk of skin cancer.
“In the early stages, skin cancer is usually asymptomatic and looks like a mole or hyperpigmented macule. People are urged to seek medical attention if any of their moles start to swell, ulcerate, change color or size, or become asymmetrical,” Chen said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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