Basal cell carcinoma overview

Overview
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer. It can be destructive and disfiguring. The risk of developing BCC is increased for individuals with a family history of the disease and with a high cumulative exposure toUltraviolet light via sunlight or, in the past, were exposed to carcinogenic chemicals especially arsenic. Treatment is with surgery, topical chemotherapy, x-ray, cryosurgery, photodynamic therapy. It is rarely life-threatening but if left untreated can be disfiguring, cause bleeding and produce local destruction (eg., eye, ear, nose, lip).

It is a malignant epithelial cell tumor that begins as a papule (a small, circumscribed, solid elevation of the skin) and enlarges peripherally, developing into a crater that erodes, crusts and bleeds. Metastasis is rare, but local invasion destroys underlying and adjacent tissue. In 90 percent of all cases, the lesion is seen between the hairline and the upper lip. It can be destructive and disfiguring.

The risk of skin cancer is related to the amount of sun exposure and pigmentation in the skin. The longer the exposure to the sun and the lighter the skin, the greater the risk of skin cancer.

There are three types of BCC:

The most common type of basal cell carcinoma is nodular basal cell carcinoma, a flesh-colored (cream to pink), round or oval translucent nodule with overlying small blood vessels and a pearly-appearing rolled border.

The second type of BCC is the pigmented lesion. This is darker than the nodular type, appearing blue, brown or black. It may be similar in appearance to the very aggressive malignant melanoma tumor. It is very important to distinguish between malignant melanomas and pigmented BCC.

A third type of BCC is the superficial type, which appears as red, and often scaly, localized plaque. It is frequently confused with psoriasis or eczema.

Basal cell skin cancer almost never spreads; however, large and longstanding tumours may metastasize into regional lymph nodes and surrounding areas such as nearby tissues and bone.