|
|||||||||
About Basal Cell Skin Cancer |
|||||||||
|
Most skin cancer can be prevented, yet one
in five Americans will develop some form of skin cancer during their
lifetime(1). Basal
cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of skin cancer and appears
most often on sun-exposed areas of the body. BCC usually
develops slowly, and as a result can often be detected and treated
early. Both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma have a
better than 95 percent cure rate if detected and treated early.(1)
If left untreated, however, it can be locally invasive,
aggressive, and destructive of surrounding and underlying tissue,
such as muscles and bones. Fortunately it is rare that basal cell
carcinoma metastasizes (spreads) to other parts of the body.(3) |
|||||||||
Photos of Basal Cell Skin Cancer |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Key Warning Signs of Skin Cancer |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
What factors increase the risk of developing basal cell carcinoma? |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Prevention and Detection |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Diagnosis and Treatment |
|||||||||
| A skin
biopsy, performed in the doctor's office, is required to confirm the
diagnosis and to further identify the histologic subtype.
(To read more details about a skin biopsy,
click here.)
Additional workup is rarely necessary, unless a genetic disorder is
suspected. If the lesion turns out to be BCC, surgical
treatment is essential so that malignant tissue cannot proliferate
further. Although it rarely metastasizes,
it can be locally
invasive and destructive of surrounding and underlying tissue.
Most common surgical methods are
curettage, excision with margin examination, and Mohs micrographic
surgery. Treatments that are effective for most nonaggressive BCCs
include radiotherapy and cryotherapy.(5)
(To read about these procedures in detail,
click here.) |
|||||||||
After Treatment |
|||||||||
|
After the skin cancer has been removed, it will either be allowed to
heal naturally, or reconstructive surgery using a skin flap or skin
graft may need to be performed. It's very important to follow the above preventive measures and keep your physician's follow-up appointments because: 1) Skin cancer often recurs even after it has been completely removed and thought to be cured. 2) If the cancer does recur, it is most likely to recur within 5 years of treatment. 3) If you have had one skin cancer, you are at high risk for developing another one. |
|||||||||
Videotutorial |
|||||||||
| Educational Video Tutorial about Skin Cancer from Medline Plus Locate the "Interactive Tutorials"
button in the upper R hand column. This will take you to
an extensive list of available videos; scroll down to "Skin Cancer" and
follow the directions. Medline
Plus is a service of the National Library of Medicine and the National
Institute of Health. |
|||||||||
References for Basal Cell Skin Cancer |
|||||||||
| (1) American Academy of Dermatology, Skin Cancer Fact Sheet at www.aad.org (2) American Academy of Dermatology Timothy M. Johnson, MD, chair of the American Academy of Dermatology's Melanoma/Skin Cancer Committee and Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich (3) Leffell DJ, Fitzgerald DA (1999). Basal cell carcinoma. In IM Freedberg et al., eds., Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine, 5th ed., pp. 857–864. New York: McGraw-Hill. (4) American Cancer Society How is nonmelanoma skin cancer found? Cancer Reference Information at www.cancer.org (5) Basal Cell Carcinoma from emedicine.com Read more at: US National Library of Medicine & Nat'l Institute of Health This site provides extensive information and links to the latest news, overview of the basics, treatment, disease management, nutrition, emotional coping, clinical trials, research, and national organizations skin cancer |
|||||||||
| --Written by N Thompson, ARNP in collaboration with M Thompson, MD, Internal Medicine, Last updated January 2009 | |||||||||
BAMI is an up-to-date educational source for patient education. Health care providers may feel free to print out copies for their patient's use. Please note that content may not be copied for resale or other commercial use such as for web sites. The content on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site.
Display of an advertisement does not imply an endorsement of the product.
Google | Yahoo | MSN | AOL | Netscape | Earthlink | Dogpile | All the Web | AltaVista