Carcinoma Treatment

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is one of the most common types of skin cancers present today. Fortunately, it seldom spreads to other parts of the body and is highly treatable. The most common cause of BCC is UV exposure (from the sun or from using sunbeds) and most often occurs on exposed areas such as the face, head, ears, neck, and backs of the hands. Basal cell carcinomas often look like scabs that do not seem to heal and may occasionally bleed. They may be lumpy with a shiny surface, or appear as a flat red mark. The most common treatment is surgical treatment. The surgical treatment might be a simple excision in which the affected skin and a small amount of skin around it is removed or Mohs surgery where the carcinoma is removed in stages until the entire tumor is removed. Other treatments may include topical creams, curettage and cautery (in which the BCC is scraped from the skin and the surface is then sealed), cryotherapy (freezing the BCC with liquid nitrogen), and radiotherapy. These treatments may be recommended to you by Dr. Dyson if surgical excision is not possible due to the location of the BCC or because of other medical conditions from which the patient suffers.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is slightly less common than BCC and is highly treatable if detected and treated early. If left untreated, the cancer may spread to other parts of the body and become a serious medical condition. SCC is also most commonly caused by UV exposure and typically appears in the same areas as BCC. SCC may appear as a scaly or crusty area on the skin with a pronounced red area. The cancer is not painful, but if you have any of these symptoms, they should be checked by Dr. Dyson as soon as possible to determine if the lesion is cancerous and requires treatment. As with BCC, the most common treatments for this type of skin cancer is surgical treatment including Mohs surgery. Curettage and cautery and cryotherapy are also sometimes used to treat squamous cell carcinoma.