A 42-year-old member asked:
I know that skin is an organ, but what inside the body can be affected by skin cancer?
4 doctor answers • 7 doctors weighed in
Dr. Troy Reynaanswered
Pediatric Surgery 45 years experience
Depends: What kind of skin cancer. Basal and squamous skin cancers are usually local in occurrence and do not spread beyond confines of skin. Melanomas can and will spread or metastasize to other organs and tissues inside the body.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Travis Kidneranswered
Surgical Oncology 18 years experience
All can be: Melanoma has the ability to travel to any organ in the body and create new tumors.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Oren Lermananswered
Plastic Surgery 20 years experience
Numerous organs: Melanoma can be deadly precisely because it travels to other organs in the body.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Otto Placikanswered
Surgery - Plastics 35 years experience
Local/distant organs: This depends on the type of skin cancer. Basal cell cancer used to be called a rodent ulcer because it destroys local tissue including underlying muscle and bone which looks as of a rodent were nibbling away at your body.Melanoma can spread via the lymphatics to lymph nodes, lungs, liver, kidneys and brain and nearly any other organ.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 37-year-old member asked:
What body organs are affected by skin cancer?
2 doctor answers • 10 doctors weighed in
Dr. Jefferson Chenanswered
Neurosurgery 35 years experience
Metastases: Melanoma can spread or metastasize to the other organs of the body. The most common sites are to the liver, lung, brain, lymph nodes. Metastatic melanoma is considered stage iv.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated May 11, 2019
People also asked
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
24/7 visits - just $39!
50% off with $15/month membership
Disclaimer:
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.