Lectures For Lifelong Learners!

Skin cancer is a disease that impacts many Floridians. This presentation begins with an examination of the anatomy of the skin with a particular focus on the epidermal layer which includes the cells that can serve as the origins of skin cancer. The initiating events from ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation) are discussed to illustrate how skin cancer can begin from a single mutated cell within the epidermal layer. As a result of the UV radiation, these mutations provide the transformed cell with growth advantages that are uncommon to the healthy cells within the surrounding tissue. This uncontrolled growth can populate the surrounding tissue with cancerous cells that can later be observed on the surface of the skin. The presentation concludes with a discussion of the therapeutic options currently available for the treatment of the various types of skin cancer.