Basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer that occurs in the basal cell skin cells.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma type of skin cancer is more likely to occur in individuals of light complexion who have had significant exposure to sunlight, and Basal cell carcinoma skin cancer is more common in the southern latitudes of the Northern hemisphere.

The overall cure rate for basal cell carcinoma is directly related to the stage of the disease and the type of treatment used. However, since basal cell carcinoma is not reportable diseases, precise 5-year cure rates are not known.

Basal Cell Carcinoma Picture

Although basal cell carcinoma is by far the most frequent type of skin tumors, the skin can also be the site of a large variety of malignant neoplasms. Other types of malignant disease include Squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (e.g., mycosis fungoides), Kaposi's sarcoma, extramammary Paget's disease, apocrine carcinoma of the skin, and metastatic malignancies from various primary sites.

Basal cell carcinoma usually occurs on areas of the skin that have been in the sun, most often the nose. Often this cancer appears as a small raised bump that has a smooth, pearly appearance. Another type looks like a scar and is flat and firm to the touch. Basal cell carcinoma may spread to tissues around the cancer, but it usually does not spread to other parts of the body.

• A skin lesion, growth, or bump located on the face, ear, neck, chest, back, or scalp
• Pearly or waxy appearance
• White, light pink,brown or flesh-colored
• Flat or slightly raised
• Visible blood vessels in the lesion or adjacent skin
• Scarlike lesion without a history of injury to the skin in that area
• A sore that will not heal

Basal cell carcinoma is diagnosed by biopsy of a suspicious skin lesion.

Basal Cell Carcinoma treatment varies depending on the size, depth, and location of the cancer. Treatment of basal cell carcinoma may include the following:

• Mohs micrographic surgery.
• Simple excision.
• Electrodesiccation and curettage.
• Cryosurgery.
• Radiation therapy.
• Laser surgery.
• Topical chemotherapy with fluorouracil.
• Photodynamic therapy.
• A clinical trial of biologic therapy.

Follow-up skin exams are important for people with basal cell carcinoma because they are likely to have a new or recurrent tumor within 5 years of the first one. After treatment, the patient should have skin exams every 6 months for 5 years and once a year after that.

The prognosis (chance of recovery) depends mostly on the stage of the Basal Cell Carcinoma cancer and the type of treatment used to remove the cancer. Treatment options depend on the following:

The stage of the cancer (whether it has spread deeper into the skin or to other places in the body).

• The type of cancer.
• The size and location of the tumor.
• The patient's general health.