Non-melanoma skin cancer
Non-melanoma skin cancer include the Basal cell carcinoma and the Squamous cell carcinoma. Both types of cancer have their cell origins in the upper skin layers, the epidermis.
- Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal Cell Carcinoma
The basal cell carcinoma is a typical illness of the older man. But women and younger people can also be affected. Typical localisation is the ridge of the nose and other facial areas. A special form, the superficial basal cell carcinoma is often found on the trunk of the body (the so called basal cell carcinoma of the trunk). The basal cell carcinoma grows slowly, infiltrating and destructive to the affected area. They are skin coloured, shiny knots, which are often surrounded by enlarged vessels (telangiectasias) and small ‘pearl of string’ like knots. Sometimes a dent develops in the centre that can bleed. Basal cell carcinoma is classed ‘semi-malign’, because it can grow destructively, but without metastasis, i.e. it does not cause metastasis in other organs. The treatment of the basal cell carcinoma is usually surgical removal. Because the basal cell carcinoma often forms invisible extensions of the tumour the histological tissue should be examined for remains of tumour (3D-histology). In some cases a follow-up surgery will be necessary, or the surgery will be planned in several steps from the beginning.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
The squamous cell carcinoma is also an illness of older people after many years of exposure to the sun and forms primarily in the face and on the ‘sun terraces’. The sun terraces are: ear conches, lower eyelids, ridge of the nose and lower lip. Frequently the squamous cell carcinoma develops from early stages, the so-called Actinic Keratosis also called solar keratosis. They are a flat, reddish, lightly scaly or crusty growth that causes little discomfort. Sometimes a sensitivity to touch or slight itchiness is reported. During the transition to the squamous cell carcinoma an increasing growth of callus, horny skin and a knotty growth develop, sometimes with a tendency to bleed. The treatment of the squamous cell carcinoma is surgical removal with follow-up analysis of the fine cell tissue peripheries (3D-Histology). If the tissue sample (biopsy) shows a particularly aggressive growth type or if the tumour exceeds a particular tumour thickness (=Level of invasion), a sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for the squamous cell carcinoma, same as for the melanoma. Unlike the basal cell carcinoma the squamous cell carcinoma can deposit malign cells in the related lymph nodes and in rare cases develop metastasis in distanced organs. This type of cancer however, when diagnosed early is cured after the surgery.