User:StellaF1234/sandbox/sandbox

Henrietta Lacks, an underprivileged African American woman born in the 1920s, was diagnosed with stage 1 of squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix.

Squamous-Cell Carcinoma
Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as epidermoid carcinoma, is the most prevalent type of skin cancer in the United States. Out of the 400,000-500,000 types of skin cancers in the United States, approximately twenty percent of these skin cancers are squamous-cell carcinoma. This type of cancer results from an abnormal skin cell growth (cutaneous dysplasia). SCC can form on any part of the body. Actinic (solar) keratosis is an early sign that an individual may evolve into squamous-cell carcinoma. The criteria that directly distinguishes squamous-cell carcinoma from actinic keratosis is difficult. (3) . Other types of precancerous carcinomas, such as bowenoid papulosis and epidermodysplasia verruciformis, may degenerate into squamous-cell carcinoma. (2) The majority of squamous-cell carcinoma develops because of sun damage to a person’s skin cells. The UVB sunlight radiation with wavelengths (290-320 nm) and UVA radiation (320-400 nm) causes DNA mutations and damage to epithelial cells. (2) Although this form of skin cancer tends to be benign, there are other malignant forms of squamous-cell carcinoma that develop due to chronic radiation, heat, burns, inflammation or scarring of the epithelial cells of the skin.

Risk
Individuals who are albino, older, have received a lot of exposure to UV light or radiation, or who have received multiple sunburns have a higher risk of getting squamous-cell carcinoma. Other factors that can increase the risk of squamous-cell carcinoma include individuals involved with oral methoxsalen, ionizing radiation, and UVA radiation involved for psoriasis treatment. Although many individuals with either medium or darker skins complexions—such as individuals in the Asian or African American community–are able to get this form of cancer, they are less likely to be at risk. Individuals who have a family history of receiving SCC are more likely to have a hereditary predisposition to the cancer. Also, people who live in lower latitudes on the Earth are more likely to develop SCC. This is because the percentage of ultraviolet light reaching the Earth’s surface increases in areas with lower latitudes and have a higher carcinogenic range.