What Are The 5 Stages Of Skin Cancer
Staging is an important tool used to treat skin cancer. Your stage helps the medical team determine where the tumor is, how large it is, where it has spread, your prognosis, and the most effective treatment plan.
The five stages of squamous cell carcinoma include:
- Stage 0: Also known as carcinoma in situ, in this stage cancer is present in the epidermis. It has not spread to deeper layers.
- Stage 1: The tumor is smaller than 2 centimeters and has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs. The individual has one or fewer risk factors for spread.
- Stage 2: The tumor is wider than 2 centimeters and has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs. This stage also applies to any sized tumor when the individual has two or more risk factors.
- Stage 3: The tumor has spread into nearby facial bones or one lymph node. It has not spread to other organs.
- Stage 4: The tumor is of any size and has metastasized to one or more of the lymph nodes. It may have spread to the bones and other distant organs.
Taking Care Of Yourself
Hearing that your cancer has spread is scary, but a lot of research is underway to find new treatments. And there are treatments available to try to stop the disease from spreading, so you can live longer.
It’s important to have support and to talk about your fears and feelings, too. Your doctor can help you find a cancer support group.
These tips may help you feel better during melanoma treatment:
- If you lose your appetite, eat small amounts of food every 2 to 3 hours instead of bigger meals. A dietitian can give you other tips on nutrition and eating during your cancer treatment. Ask your doctor for a referral.
- Exercise can help you feel better overall and fight fatigue. But listen to your body, and balance rest and activity.
- Get the kind of emotional support that’s right for you. It could be from family, friends, your cancer support group, or a religious group.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk Factors
Certain things make you more likely to develop SCC:
- Older age
- Blue, green, or gray eyes
- Blonde or red hair
- Spend time outside, exposed to the sun’s UV Rays
- History of sunburns, precancerous spots on your skin, or skin cancer
- Tanning beds and bulbs
- Long-term exposure to chemicals such as arsenic in the water
- Bowens disease, HPV, HIV, or AIDS
Your doctor may refer you to a dermatologist who specializes in skin conditions. They will:
- Ask about your medical history
- Ask about your history of severe sunburns or indoor tanning
- Ask if you have any pain or other symptoms
- Ask when the spot first appeared
- Give you a physical exam to check the size, shape, color, and texture of the spot
- Look for other spots on your body
- Feel your lymph nodes to make sure they arent bigger or harder than normal
If your doctor thinks a bump looks questionable, theyll remove a sample of the spot to send to a lab for testing.
Continued
Read Also: Stage Iii Melanoma Prognosis
What Is The Treatment For Advanced Or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Locally advanced primary, recurrent or metastatic SCC requires multidisciplinary consultation. Often a combination of treatments is used.
- Experimental targeted therapy using epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors
Many thousands of New Zealanders are treated for cutaneous SCC each year, and more than 100 die from their disease.
What Is A Squamous Cell
One of three main types of cells in the top layer of the skin , squamous cells are flat cells located near the surface of the skin that shed continuously as new ones form.
SCC occurs when DNA damage from exposure to ultraviolet radiation or other damaging agents trigger abnormal changes in the squamous cells.
Recommended Reading: What Stage Is Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
What Is Metastatic Melanoma
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. When it spreads to other places in your body, it’s called metastatic, or advanced. You may also hear your doctor refer to it as stage IV melanoma.
Melanoma often spreads to:
Although in many cases metastatic melanoma canât be cured, treatments and support can help you live longer and better. Doctors have therapies that have greatly increased survival rates. And researchers are working to find new medications that can do even more.
Remember: You still have control over the decisions you make about your treatment and your life. It’s important to have people you can talk to about your plans, your fears, and your feelings. So find support and learn about your treatment options. That will help you make the most of your life.
Stages Of Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous Cell Carcinomas are usually slow growing, but occasionally SCCs grow in subtle ways and may be quite extensive and advanced by the time of diagnosis.
The general stages of a Squamous Cell Carcinoma are:
- T – stands for the main tumour .
- N – stands for spread to nearby lymph nodes .
- M – is for metastasis .
If a Squamous Cell Carcinoma is advanced the outcome can vary and this may affect your treatment choices.
A small number of Squamous Cell Carcinomas, especially those diagnosed late or were not treated are fatal.
Don’t Miss: What Is Large Cell Carcinoma
How Skin Cancer Progresses
All cancer starts in one part of your body. With SCC, it starts in your skin. From there, cancer cells can spread.
How far your cancer has spread is known as its stage. Doctors assign skin cancers a stage number between 0 and 4.
Stage 4 means your cancer has spread beyond your skin. Your doctor might call the cancer advanced or metastatic at this stage. It means your cancer has traveled to one or more of your lymph nodes, and it may have reached your bones or other organs.
The stage of your cancer and where it is located will help your doctor find the right treatment for you. At stage 4 your cancer may not be curable, but it is still treatable.
Symptoms Of Basal Cell Carcinoma
There are several types of basal cell carcinomas.
The nodular type of basal cell carcinoma usually begins as small, shiny, firm, almost clear to pink in color, raised growth. After a few months or years, visible dilated blood vessels may appear on the surface, and the center may break open and form a scab. The border of the cancer is sometimes thickened and pearly white. The cancer may alternately bleed and form a scab and heal, leading a person to falsely think that it is a sore rather than a cancer.
Other types of basal cell carcinomas vary greatly in appearance. For example, the superficial type appears as flat thin red or pink patches, and the morpheaform type appears as thicker flesh-colored or light red patches that look somewhat like scars.
Recommended Reading: Can Skin Cancer Cause Pain
Don’t Miss: Lobular Breast Cancer Stage 1
How Is Squamous Cell Carcinoma Diagnosed
Diagnosis of cutaneous SCC is based on clinical features. The diagnosis and histological subtype are confirmed pathologically by diagnostic biopsy or following excision. See squamous cell carcinoma pathology.
Patients with high-risk SCC may also undergo staging investigations to determine whether it has spread to lymph nodes or elsewhere. These may include:
- Imaging using ultrasound scan, X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans
- Lymph node or other tissue biopsies
When Your Cancer Comes Back
Finishing your treatment can come as a huge relief, especially if your doctor tells you youre in remission. Yet your cancer can come back. This is called a recurrence.
See your doctor for regular follow-up visits to catch any recurrence early, when its most treatable. The doctor who treated your cancer will let you know how often to get check-ups. You may see your doctor every 3 months for the first year, and then less often.
Recommended Reading: Can You Die From Basal Cell Skin Cancer
What Causes Squamous Cell Carcinoma
95% of Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Australia are the result from skin damage caused by
- Cumulative long-term sun exposure
- Intermittent overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun
Most Squamous Cell Carcinomas occur on parts of the body exposed to the sun especially the face, ears, neck, bald scalp, shoulders, and back, but many can be found in areas that are only burned or exposed occasionally – such as the abdomen or upper thighs
It is not possible to pinpoint a precise, single cause for a specific tumour, especially tumours found on a sun-protected area of the body or in an extremely young individual. Some Squamous Cell Carcinoma can also result from less common causes such as:
- contact with arsenic,
- exposure to ionising radiation such as X-rays
- open sores that resist healing,
- chronic inflammatory skin conditions, and
- as complications of burns and scars.
Untreated Squamous Cell Carcinomas
The incidence of Squamous Cell Carcinoma is rising and can be life-threatening.
While Squamous Cell Carcinomas seldom spread to vital organs, Squamous Cell Carcinomas respond well to early treatment. If untreated the consequences could include:
- Disfigurement
- Nerve, or muscle injury, or other injury to nearby structures like eyelids or nostrils
- Certain rare, aggressive forms can be lethal if not treated promptly.
The larger the tumour has grown, the more extensive any surgical treatment would be. This could result in scarring.
In 2016 it is estimated that there were 560 deaths in Australia from non-melanoma skin cancers. It is not possible to identify how many of these are Squamous Cell Carcinomas as this data is not separately recorded.
Don’t Miss: How To Identify Basal Cell Carcinoma
How Do You Get Rid Of Squamous Cell Cancer
Treatment options for squamous cell carcinoma include surgical and non-surgical procedures. Commonly, doctors will remove the tumor using surgery to cut out the growth and some surrounding tissue. A procedure called Mohs surgery is the most successful method because it involves removing the tumor layer by layer and testing each layer for cancer.
How Fast Lung Cancer Grows
The doubling time for lung cancer can help you to get an idea about proliferation, or how fast lung cancer cells grow. But it’s important to look at the science of cancer cell growth, because there are limits to the math and the models used to estimate it. These limits mean that estimates of the true growth rate may be far too high or too low. In other words, there is no simple formula.
Read Also: Treatment For Stage 3 Melanoma
Squamous Cell Carcinoma Lung Cancer Survival Rates
Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a type of Lung Cancer with relatively better Survival Rates. It is caused by abnormal lung cells forming a tumor. It can metastasize or spread to other parts of the body or organs other than the lungs. Squamous Cell Carcinoma Lung Cancer can spread in bones, liver, glands and also brain.
There are two most common types of lung cancers. One is Small Cell Lung Cancer and other is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Lung cells are different at cellular level and are treated differently. The researchers found out that the prognosis for non-small cell lung cancer is a little better than for small cell lung cancer because, the treatment for non-small cell lung cancers are more likely to be successful because it contained in one area.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma Lung Cancer Survival Rates are better because it is a non-small cell lung cancer. Other well-known types of lung cancer are adenocarcinoma and also large cell carcinoma. However, Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer is the most common type of lung cancer found world wide. Squamous cell carcinoma lung cancer is the second-most common type of lung cancer all over the world.
How Long Does It Take For A Squamous Cell Skin Cancer To Spread
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
Ask U.S. doctors your own question and get educational, text answers â it’s anonymous and free!
HealthTap doctors are based in the U.S., board certified, and available by text or video.
Read Also: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Grade 2 Survival Rate
Squamous Cell Skin Cancer
SCC is generally faster growing than basal cell cancers. About 20 out of every 100 skin cancers are SCCs. They begin in cells called keratinocytes, which are found in the epidermis.
Most SCCs develop on areas of skin exposed to the sun. These areas include parts of the head, neck, and on the back of your hands and forearms. They can also develop on scars, areas of skin that have been burnt in the past, or that have been ulcerated for a long time.
SCCs don’t often spread. If they do, it’s most often to the deeper layers of the skin. They can spread to nearby lymph nodes and other parts of the body, but this is unusual.
How Serious Is My Cancer
If you have skin cancer, the doctor will want to find out how far it has spread. This is called staging.
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers don’t spread as often as some other types of cancer, so the exact stage might not be too important. Still, your doctor might want to find out the stage of your cancer to help decide what type of treatment is best for you.
The stage describes the growth or spread of the cancer through the skin. It also tells if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body that are close by or farther away.
Your cancer can be stage 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. The lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, like stage 4, means a more serious cancer that has spread beyond the skin. Be sure to ask the doctor about the cancer stage and what it means for you.
Other things can also help you and your doctor decide how to treat your cancer, such as:
- Where the cancer is on your body
- How fast the cancer has been growing
- If the cancer is causing symptoms, such as being painful or itchy
- If the cancer is in a place that was already treated with radiation
- If you have a weakened immune system
Recommended Reading: Can You Cure Stage 4 Melanoma
Predictions Based On Doubling Times
Looking at doubling times of tumors is helpful only if the estimated doubling times can be used to predict the growth of a person’s tumor. One study looked at predicted survival times of people who had inoperable lung cancers and found that there was a close correlation between survival predicted from doubling time and actual survival.
How Is Squamous Cell Skin Cancer Treated
Although squamous cell cancers usually grow slowly, it is important to see a dermatologist quickly. “The sooner you see your doctor and the cancer is diagnosed and treated, the less complicated the surgery to remove it will be, and the faster you will make a complete recovery, Dr. Leffell explains. The treatment for squamous cell cancer varies according to the size and location of the lesion. The surgical options are the same as those for basal cell cancer:
- Surgical excision: Removing a squamous cell lesion is a simple procedure that typically takes place in the dermatologist’s office. After numbing the cancer and the area around it with a local anesthetic, the doctor uses a scalpel to remove the tumor and some of the surrounding skin to make sure all cancer is eliminated. Estimating how much to take requires skill and expertise, Dr. Leffell notes. The risk of taking too little tissue is that some cancer remains taking too much leaves a larger scar than is necessary. Shaped like a football, the wound is stitched together, using plastic surgery techniques. If dissolvable stitches are used, they will disappear on their own as the area heals. Though the procedure leaves some redness and a small scar, it tends to become less noticeable over time. “The cure rate for this type of excision is typically about 90 to 93 percent,” says Dr. Leffell. But, of course, this is dependent on the skill and experience of the doctor.”
Don’t Miss: What Happens If You Pick At A Basal Cell Carcinoma
What Is The Treatment For Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Cutaneous SCC is nearly always treated surgically. Most cases are excised with a 310 mm margin of normal tissue around a visible tumour. A flap or skin graft may be needed to repair the defect.
Other methods of removal include:
- Shave, curettage, and electrocautery for low-risk tumours on trunk and limbs
- Aggressive cryotherapy for very small, thin, low-risk tumours
- Mohs micrographic surgery for large facial lesions with indistinct margins or recurrent tumours
- Radiotherapy for an inoperable tumour, patients unsuitable for surgery, or as adjuvant
Are You At Risk
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is also our bodys first line of defense. There are numerous factors which may increase your risk of skin cancer:
- Genetics: Individuals with fair complexions are at the greatest risk. Your risk is also increased if your parents, children, or siblings have had skin cancer.
- Sun Exposure: Over the course of a lifetime, exposure to the sun can lead to a higher risk of skin cancer. Tanning beds and other false sunlight are no exception.
- Immunosuppression: Immunosuppression therapy following organ transplants, chemotherapy, AIDS, and other treatments can put you at a significant risk for skin cancer.
- Lifespan: Human life expectancy has increased from forty-two years in 1904 to close to eighty years today. As a result, the number of skin cancers being seen around the world is increasing.
Read Also: How To Identify Basal Cell Carcinoma
Tumour Staging For Cutaneous Scc
TX: Th Primary tumour cannot be assessed
T0: No evidence of a primary tumour
Tis: Carcinoma in situ
T1: Tumour 2cm without high-risk features
T2: Tumour 2cm or Tumour 2 cm with high-risk features
T3: Tumour with the invasion of maxilla, mandible, orbit or temporal bone
T4: Tumour with the invasion of axial or appendicular skeleton or perineural invasion of skull base