Effective Options For Early And Advanced Bcc
When detected early, most basal cell carcinomas can be treated and cured. Prompt treatment is vital, because as the tumor grows, it becomes more dangerous and potentially disfiguring, requiring more extensive treatment. Certain rare, aggressive forms can be fatal if not treated promptly.
If youve been diagnosed with a small or early BCC, a number of effective treatments can usually be performed on an outpatient basis, using a local anesthetic with minimal pain. Afterwards, most wounds can heal naturally, leaving minimal scarring.
Options include:
Treatment Of Actinic Keratosis
Actinic keratoses commonly appear in areas of chronic sun exposure, such asthe face and dorsa of the hands. Actinic cheilitis is a related condition thatusually appears on the lower lips. These conditions represent early epithelialtransformation that may eventually evolve into invasive squamous cell carcinoma .
Actinic keratoses are noninvasive lesions. The progression rate is extremely low. In a prospective study, the progression rate to SCC was less than 1 in 1,000 per year, calling into question the cost-effectiveness of treating all actinic keratoses to prevent SCC. Moreover, in a population-based longitudinal study, there was a spontaneous regression rate of approximately 26% for solar keratoses within 1 year of a screening examination. Therefore, studies designed to test the efficacy of any treatment for progression of actinic keratoses to SCC are impractical . Nevertheless, a variety of treatment approaches have been reviewed.
Treatment options for actinic keratosis depend on whether the lesions are isolated or whether there are multiple lesions in the same field.
Treatment options for actinic keratosis include the following:
What Are The Symptoms Of Skin Cancer Of The Head And Neck
Skin cancers usually present as an abnormal growth on the skin. The growth may have the appearance of a wart, crusty spot, ulcer, mole or sore. It may or may not bleed and can be painful. If you have a preexisting mole, any change in the characteristics of this spot – such as a raised or an irregular border, irregular shape, change in color, increase in size, itching or bleeding – are warning signs of melanoma. Sometimes the first sign of melanoma or squamous cell cancer is an enlarged lymph node.
Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Surgery Specialists
Our head and neck surgeons and speech language pathologists take a proactive approach to cancer treatment. Meet the Johns Hopkins specialists who will work closely with you during your journey.
Read Also: Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Prognosis
Purpose Of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary for health professionals provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed, evidence-based information about the treatment of skin cancer. It is intended as a resource to inform and assist clinicians in the care of their patients. It does not provide formal guidelines or recommendations for making health care decisions.
Skin Cancer Of The Head And Neck Treatment
Many early-stage small basal cell cancers or squamous cell cancers can be removed by Mohs surgery, a technique that spares normal tissue through repeated intraoperative margin testing, removing only the cancer and leaving adjacent normal tissue. Tumors with nerve involvement, lymph node involvement or of a large size are not suitable for Mohs surgery. They require a multimodality approach to treatment, with formal surgical resection and adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy.
Melanoma is more likely to spread, and aggressive surgical resection with wide margins is required, in addition to radiation and/or chemotherapy.
Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Surgery provides comprehensive surgical care and treatment for head and neck cancers. Our surgeons are at the leading edge of head and neck cancer treatment. You will benefit from the skilled care of head and neck surgeons, guiding clinical advancements in the field of head and neck cancer care.
Don’t Miss: Skin Cancer 1st Stage
Choosing To Stop Treatment Or Choosing No Treatment At All
For some people, when treatments have been tried and are no longer controlling the cancer, it could be time to weigh the benefits and risks of continuing to try new treatments. Whether or not you continue treatment, there are still things you can do to help maintain or improve your quality of life.
Some people, especially if the cancer is advanced, might not want to be treated at all. There are many reasons you might decide not to get cancer treatment, but its important to talk to your doctors and you make that decision. Remember that even if you choose not to treat the cancer, you can still get supportive care to help with pain or other symptoms.
Alternative And Complementary Therapies For Skin Cancer
Once skin cancer is diagnosed, the only acceptable treatment is medical care. Alternative approaches may be useful in cancer prevention and in combating nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and headaches from chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy used to treat advanced skin cancer. Be sure to discuss any alternative treatments you are considering using with your cancer doctor.
You May Like: How Long Until Melanoma Spreads
Skin Cancer Treatments For Superficial Growths
Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common types of skin cancer. Both are relatively slow-growing and can often be treated with a simple in-office procedure when you find them early.
However, if you leave them to grow, they can penetrate deeper layers of the skin and become disfiguring and, potentially, deadly. Some great treatments for superficial skin cancers are:
What Are The Symptoms Of Skin Cancer
Skin cancers first appear as a spot, lump or scaly area on the skin, or a mole that changes colour, size or shape over several weeks or months. These changes can appear anywhere on the body, particularly areas frequently exposed to the sun. Skin cancers may bleed and become inflamed, and can be tender to the touch.
There are certain characteristics to look for in spots and moles. Remember the ‘ABCDE’ of skin cancer when checking your skin:
- Asymmetry does each side of the spot or mole look different to the other?
- Border is it irregular, jagged or spreading?
- Colours are there several, or is the colour uneven or blotchy?
- Diameter look for spots that are getting bigger
- Evolution is the spot or mole changing or growing over time?
Changes may include an area that is scaly, shiny, pale or bright pink in colour, or a spot or lump that grows quickly and is thick, red, scaly or crusted.
See your doctor if you notice any new spots or an existing spot that changes size, shape or colour over several weeks or months. Your doctor can help you distinguish between a harmless spot such as a mole, and a sunspot or irregular mole that could develop later into skin cancer.
You May Like: Melanoma Bone Cancer Life Expectancy
Skin Cancer On The Face: Types And Prevention
Casey Gallagher, MD, is board-certified in dermatology. He is a clinical professor at the University of Colorado in Denver, and co-founder and practicing dermatologist at the Boulder Valley Center for Dermatology in Colorado.
Because it is exposed to the sun more than other parts of the body, the skin on your face is especially vulnerable to skin cancer. And skin cancer on the face can be mistaken for other conditionssuch as age spots, pimples, scarring, acne, styes, and cysts.
Skin cancers that tend to occur more often on the face include actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The face is also a common site of melanoma and there are several other lesser-common skin cancers that can affect the face. The risk of getting skin cancers on the face increases with high amounts of sun exposure and other ultraviolet light exposure.
About 75% of non-melanoma skin cancers occur on the head or neck.
Skin cancer occurs when cells in the skin’s layers become damaged in ways that cause them to look and act differently than the normal healthy cells around them and start to grow out of control. UV rays play a major role in damaging cells by causing gene mutations.
You can watch for signs of skin cancer on your face by paying attention to new or odd-looking spots or feeling growths, splotches, or moles.
Basal Cell Carcinoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of The Skin And Actinic Keratosis Often Appear As A Change In The Skin
Not all changes in the skin are a sign of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or actinic keratosis. Check with your doctor if you notice any changes in your skin.
Signs of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin include the following:
- A sore that does not heal.
- Areas of the skin that are:
- Raised, smooth, shiny, and look pearly.
- Firm and look like a scar, and may be white, yellow, or waxy.
- Raised and red or reddish-brown.
- Scaly, bleeding, or crusty.
Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin occur most often in areas of the skin exposed to the sun, such as the nose, ears, lower lip, or top of the hands.
Signs of actinic keratosis include the following:
- A rough, red, pink, or brown, scaly patch on the skin that may be flat or raised.
- Cracking or peeling of the lower lip that is not helped by lip balm or petroleum jelly.
Actinic keratosis occurs most commonly on the face or the top of the hands.
Also Check: Does Melanoma Blanch When Pressed
Start Your Care With A Fellowship
This may seem like a no-brainer, but when it comes to skin cancer treatment, youre better off beginning your care with a board-certified dermatologist. Choosing a dermatologist with fellowship training in skin oncology and dermatologic surgery is also important.
Sometimes people go right to a plastic surgeon when they have something on their face, Dr. Lee explains. But skin cancer can grow wider than anticipated, making complete removal tricky.
One way to ensure that you get the best cosmetic outcome is to seek out a dermatologist with experience in treating facial skin cancer. Dermatologists who have completed a dermatologic surgery fellowship tend to have the most experience with facial cancers, Dr. Lee says. Ask your dermatologist for a referral to a dermatologic surgeon or seek treatment at a medical center with dermatologic surgeons on staff.
Fellowship-trained dermatologic surgeons are experts in delicate skin-sparing procedures that can better preserve your appearance while also making sure that all of the cancer is removed. They are also skilled in reading pathology, Dr. Lee points out, which gives them an excellent understanding of how cancer grows so they can ensure that they are removing all of it.
And if you do need a plastic surgeon, a dermatologic surgeon will be able to advise you.
How To Reduce The Risk Of Skin Cancer
Whilst the disease cannot be entirely prevented, there are ways in which people can go about reducing their risks. This can be done by:
-
Limiting sun exposure. In addition to using sunscreen, this means staying in the shade as often as possible, covering up to prevent sunburn, and wearing a wide brim hat to protect the face, head, ears, and neck.
-
Avoid Tanning beds. Indoor tanning is not a safer alternative to sunbathing. The UV rays from tanning beds will cause the same damage as the UV rays from the sun. The CDC has reported that in-door tanning has led to 3,000 people being rushed to the emergency room each year.
-
Wearing sunscreen at all times during the day. It is important to remember that sunscreen requires reapplication throughout the day in order to provide constant UV protection. This is particularly important if you are fair-skinned.
If you are going to be exposed to the sun it is imperative that you use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that contains a sun protection factor of 30 or higher.
The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that everyone should carefully examine their entire body, at least once a month. During the head-to-toe self-examination, people should pay close attention to:
Don’t Miss: Skin Cancer Perineural Invasion
Squamous Cell Skin Cancer
What is Squamous Cell Skin Cancer?
Squamous cell skin cancer is the second most common form of skin cancer, after basal cell skin cancer. Squamous cell skin cancer is characterised by abnormal, accelerated growth of squamous cells, located near the surface of the skin.
What are the signs of squamous cell skin cancer?
Squamous cell skin cancer usually occurs on sun-exposed areas of the body, such as the face, ears and hands. People with darker skin are more likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer on areas that arent often exposed to the sun. Squamous cell carcinoma may appear as a:
· Firm red nodule
· Flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface
How is squamous cell skin cancer treated?
Most squamous cell skin cancers can be completely removed with relatively minor surgery. Surgical options include:
- Curettage and electrodessication: a procedure to remove the surface of the skin cancer with a scraping instrument and then searing the base of the cancer with an electric needle.
- Laser therapy: an intense beam of light vaporizes growths, usually with little damage to surrounding tissue and with a reduced risk of bleeding, swelling and scarring.
- Freezing: this treatment involves freezing cancer cells with liquid nitrogen . It is the preferred option for treating superficial skin lesions.
What Are The Most Common Treatments For Skin Cancer
Skin cancer treatments differ depending on the severity of the cancer. Well look at some of the most common methods below.
Patients with basal cell carcinoma , squamous cell carcinoma of the skin , or actinic keratosis will be treated in different manners. Superficial skin cancers may be handled with a biopsy that removes the entire growth. But a large squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma or melanoma may require further tests, such as the imaging of nearby lymph nodes or a lymph node biopsy. The Roman numerals I through IV indicate the cancer’s stage of severity, which guides treatment.
Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, cryotherapy, chemical peels or photodynamic therapy may all be used to treat skin cancers.
Surgery to treat skin cancer can take several forms. One is excisional surgery. This involves the excision or removal of the cancerous tissue along with a margin of surrounding healthy skin, the size of which will vary.
Mohs surgery is another surgical procedure — one in which skin cancer is removed in gradual layers. Each layer is microscopically examined. The procedure repeats until no abnormal cells remain.
During radiation therapy, energy beams like X-rays destroy the cancer cells. It is sometimes used in conjunction with surgery.
Immunotherapy is also sometimes an option for patients with basal and squamous cell skin cancers.
Read Also: Stage 3b Melanoma Survival Rate
What Sets Washington University And Siteman Cancer Center Apart
Ryan Fields, MD, Section Chief of Surgical Oncology
The Skin Cancer Team at the School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center consists of dermatologists, surgeons, medical oncologists, pathologists, nurses, councilors and caregivers and patients. Depending on the type and stage of skin cancer, the team has several treatment options available, including surgical excision, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy individualized to that patients case.
The goal of this team is to provide a full range of cancer diagnosis and treatment options led by specialists at the top of their field when needed, and to educate and monitor patients to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer.
More information on skin cancer prevention, detection and treatment, as well as a complete listing of physicians on the Skin Cancer Team, is available at Siteman Cancer Center.
Where Within The Skin Layers Does Skin Cancer Develop
Where skin cancer develops specifically, in which skin cells is tied to the types and names of skin cancers.
Most skin cancers begin in the epidermis, your skins top layer. The epidermis contains three main cell types:
- Squamous cells: These are flat cells in the outer part of the epidermis. They constantly shed as new cells form. The skin cancer that can form in these cells is called squamous cell carcinoma.
- Basal cells: These cells lie beneath the squamous cells. They divide, multiply and eventually get flatter and move up in the epidermis to become new squamous cells, replacing the dead squamous cells that have sloughed off. Skin cancer that begins in basal cells is called basal cell carcinoma.
- Melanocytes: These cells make melanin, the brown pigment that gives skin its color and protects your skin against some of the suns damaging UV rays. Skin cancer that begins in melanocytes is called melanoma.
Also Check: Melanoma 3b
Types Of Skin Malignancies:
- Melanoma the least common form of skin cancer, but responsible for more deaths per year than squamous cell and basal cell skin cancers combined. Melanoma is also more likely to spread and may be harder to control.
- Nonmelanoma malignancies:
- Squamous cell cancer the second-most common skin cancer. It’s more aggressive and may require extensive surgery, depending on location and nerve involvement.
- Basal cell cancer the most common form of skin cancer. It is rarely fatal but can be locally aggressive.
These skin malignancies are typically caused by ultraviolet radiation from exposure to the sun and tanning beds.
How Can You Prevent Skin Cancer
You can lower your risk of developing skin cancer by following some sun safety tips:
- Avoid exposing your skin to the sun, and dont tan!
- Wear protective clothing like long sleeve shirts and wetsuits in the water.
- Wear sunscreen every day, even if its overcast. A broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays should be reapplied every 2 hours when your skin is exposed to sun.
Avoid peak times of 12pm-2pm when the sun is at its highest, find a shady spot during this time.
Recommended Reading: Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer Prognosis