Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is a cancer that grows on parts of your skin that get a lot of sun.
This cancer is unlikely to spread from your skin to other parts of your body, but it can move nearby into bone or other tissue under your skin. Several treatments can keep that from happening and get rid of the cancer.
The tumors start off as small shiny bumps, usually on your nose or other parts of your face. But you can get them on any part of your body, including your trunk, legs, and arms. If you’ve got fair skin, you’re more likely to get this skin cancer.
Basal cell carcinoma usually grows very slowly and often doesn’t show up for many years after intense or long-term exposure to the sun. You can get it at a younger age if you’re exposed to a lot of sun or use tanning beds.
Basal cell carcinoma can look different. You may notice a skin growth in a dome shape that has blood vessels in it. It can be pink, brown, or black.
At first, a basal cell carcinoma comes up like a small “pearly” bump that looks like a flesh-colored mole or a pimple that doesn’t go away. Sometimes these growths can look dark. Or you may also see shiny pink or red patches that are slightly scaly.
Another symptom to watch out for is a waxy, hard skin growth.
Basal cell carcinomas are also fragile and can bleed easily.
Causes of Basal Cell Carcinoma
Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or from a tanning bed are the main cause of basal cell carcinoma.
When UV rays hit your skin, over time, they can damage the DNA in your skin cells. The DNA holds the code for the way these cells grow. Over time, damage to the DNA can cause cancer to form. The process takes many years.
Diagnostics of Basal Cell Carcinoma
Your doctor will look at your skin for growths. Your doctor will take a sample, or biopsy, of the growth. They will numb the area and remove some of the skin. Then they send it to a lab, where it will be tested for cancer cells.
Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma
The goal is to get rid of the cancer while leaving as small a scar as possible. To choose the best treatment, your doctor will consider the size and place of the cancer, and how long you’ve had it. They’ll also take into account the chance of scarring, as well as your overall health.
These are some of the treatment options your doctor may suggest:
Cutting out the tumor. Your doctor may call this an “excision.” First they’ll numb the tumor and the skin around it. Then they’ll scrape the tumor with a spoon-shaped device. Next they’ll cut out the tumor and a small surrounding area of normal-appearing skin and send it to a lab.
If the lab results show there are cancer cells in the area around your tumor, your doctor may need to remove more of your skin.
Scraping the tumor away and using electricity to kill cancer cells. You may hear your doctor call this “curettage and desiccation.” First your doctor numbs your skin. Then they use a curette, a tool that has a spoon-like shape to scrape off the tumor. Your doctor controls your bleeding and kills any other cancer cells with an electric needle.
Freezing your cancer cells. This is known as “cryosurgery.” Your doctor kills your cancer cells by freezing them with liquid nitrogen.