3 Types of Cancer That Can Affect Your Feet

With more and more warm weather activities opening up as we all carefully emerge from the shutdown, it’s a good idea to pay attention to your skin to avoid burns and to catch any potentially worrisome skin conditions before they spread. This is especially true when it comes to your feet, where a problematic skin cancer lesion can go undetected on the bottom of your foot or under a toenail.

3 types of skin cancer to keep a watch for on your feet include the following:

1. Melanoma—This is potentially a very deadly cancer since it can rapidly spread to other parts of the body. Since the lesions tend to grow deeper into the skin without much lateral spread, they can be hard to detect and often mimic other benign skin ailments. Be sure to see your foot doctor for the proper diagnosis and care.
2. Basal cell cancer—This is a slow growing tumor that can look like warts, moles, and other skin conditions. It isn’t very aggressive initially, but it can spread if left untreated.
3. Squamous cell tumors—These tumors have many of the same features as plantar warts, and can also hide under thick skin so always have any warts checked by your podiatrist.

If you have any skin lesions on your feet or ankles, be sure to have them checked out by your foot doctor to rule out cancerous tumors. The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists, in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County Arizona, have unparalleled experience in treating all aspects of foot and ankle care. Our team of doctors, including Christopher M. Funk, D.P.M., FACFAS, Bradley A. Whitaker, D.P.M., FACFAS, and Peter C. Merrill, D.P.M., AACFAS, is dedicated to serving you with state-of-the-art, cutting edge medical technologies including the PinPointe FootLaser, custom-fitted orthotics, and Radial Pulse Therapy (RPT) for chronic foot, heel, or ankle pain. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment please call (520) 575-0800.