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.
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