Can someone tell me more about Basal Cell Carcinoma?Serious answers only please.
Answer by Victoria L
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of cancer, with about a million new cases estimated in the U.S. each year. Basal cells line the deepest layer of the epidermis. Basal cell carcinomas are malignant growths--tumors--that arise in this layer.
Basal cell carcinoma can usually be diagnosed with a simple biopsy and is fairly easy to treat when detected early. However, 5 to 10 percent of BCCs can be resistant to treatment or locally aggressive, damaging the skin around them, and sometimes invading bone and cartilage. When not treated quickly, they can be difficult to eliminate. Fortunately, however, this is a cancer that has an extremely low rate of metastasis, and although it can result in scars and disfigurement, it is not usually life threatening.
The sun is responsible for over 90 percent of all skin cancers, including BCCs, which occur most frequently on the sun-exposed areas of the body: face, ears, neck, scalp, shoulders and back.
The vast majority of BCCs are not serious if detected early and treated quickly. The BCCs that cause trouble are the ones that have been neglected until they have become so thick that they are hard to treat.
There is no one best method to treat all skin cancers and precancers. The choice is determined by many factors, including the location, type, size, whether it is a primary tumor or a recurrent one, the health and preference of the patient, and the physician's experience with the technique. For example, a treatment that has a high cure rate and is painless but leaves a large scar might be acceptable for a tumor on the body, but not on the face.
Almost all treatments can be performed in the physician's office or in a special surgical facility. Most skin cancer removal can be done using a local anesthetic. Rarely, extensive tumors may require general anesthesia and hospital admission.
Current methods of treating BCC are:
Curettage-electrodessication
Cryosurgery
Chemotherapy: topical or injection
Excisional surgery
Mohs micrographic surgery
Radiation
Laser therapy
Photodynamic therapy
Cure rates for most of the modes of therapy are excellent – from 85 to 99 percent for primary basal cell carcinomas.
Treatment does not end when the skin cancer has been removed. You and your physician will consider both medical and cosmetic factors in choosing the technique for closing and repairing wounds left after cancer treatment. The decision may be to let your wound heal naturally, close it with stitches, or, if surgery has been extensive, to cover the area with a skin graft.
Cancerous and precancerous conditions can recur even when they appear to have been adequately treated. A patient should continue to see the physician for regular follow-up visits for several years to make sure that the growth has not recurred.
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