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A basal cell carcinoma (BCC) usually looks like a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the sun-exposed skin of the head, neck, or shoulders.

* Small blood vessels may be visible within the tumor.

* A central depression with crusting and bleeding (ulceration) frequently develops.

* A BCC is often mistaken for a sore that does not heal.

A squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is commonly a well-defined, red, scaling, thickened patch on sun-exposed skin.

* Like BCCs, SCCs may ulcerate and bleed.

* Left untreated, SCC may develop into a large mass.

Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, most commonly from sunlight, is overwhelmingly the most frequent cause of skin cancer.

Other important causes of skin cancer include the following:

* Use of tanning booths

* Immunosuppression-impairment of the immune system, which protects the body from foreign entities, such as germs or substances that cause an allergic reaction. This may occur as a consequence of some diseases or can be due to medications prescribed to combat autoimmune diseases or prevent organ transplant rejection.

* Exposure to unusually high levels of x-rays

Skin cancer is the most common of all human cancers. Some form of skin cancer is diagnosed in more than 1 million people in the United States each year.

Cancer occurs when normal cells undergo a transformation during which they grow and multiply without normal controls.

* As the cells multiply, they form a mass called a tumor. Tumors of the skin are often referred to as lesions.

* Tumors are cancerous only if they are malignant. This means that they encroach on and invade neighboring tissues because of their uncontrolled growth.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke exhaled by smokers and the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. You also may have heard it called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), passive, or involuntary smoke. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 substances. Many of them are dangerous poisons and can cause cancer. Anyone exposed to secondhand smoke inhales these substances.

Lung disease, including lung cancer, is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Secondhand smoke:

Heart Attack Symptoms and Warning Signs

A blockage in the heart's arteries may reduce or completely cut off the blood supply to a portion of the heart. This can cause a blood clot to form and totally stop blood flow in a coronary artery, resulting in a heart attack (also called an acute myocardial infarction or MI).

Irreversible injury to the heart muscle usually occurs if medical help is not received promptly. Unfortunately, it is common for people to dismiss heart attack symptoms.
What are the warning signs of a heart attack?