Basal cell cancer
| Basal cell carcinoma | |
|---|---|
| Synonyms | Basal cell skin cancer, basalioma |
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| Ulcerated basal cell carcinoma affecting the skin of the nose in an elderly individual | |
| Specialty | Dermatology, oncology |
| Symptoms | Painless raised area of skin that may be shiny with small blood vessel running over it or ulceration |
| Risk factors | Light skin, ultraviolet light, radiation therapy, arsenic, poor immune function |
| Diagnostic method | Examination, skin biopsy |
| Similar conditions | Milia, seborrheic keratosis, melanoma, psoriasis |
| Treatment | Surgical removal |
| Prognosis | Good |
| Frequency | ~30% of white people at some point (US) |
| Deaths | Rare |
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| External resources |
Basal-cell carcinoma (BCC), also known as basal-cell cancer, is the most common type of skin cancer. It often appears as a painless raised area of skin, that may be shiny with small blood vessels running over it or it may present as a raised area with ulceration. Basal-cell cancer grows slowly and can damage the tissue around it but is unlikely to spread to distant areas or result in death.
Risk factors include exposure to ultraviolet light, having lighter skin, radiation therapy, long term exposure to arsenic, and poor immune system function. UV light exposure during childhood is particularly harmful.Tanning beds are becoming another common source of ultraviolet radiation. Diagnosis is often based on skin examination and confirmed by tissue biopsy.
It is not clear if sunscreen affects the risk of basal-cell cancer. Treatment is typically by surgical removal. This can be by simple excision if the cancer is small, otherwise Mohs surgery is generally recommended. Other options may include application of cold, topical chemotherapy, laser surgery, or the use of imiquimod. In the rare cases in which distant spread has occurred, chemotherapy or targeted therapy may be used.
Basal cell cancer accounts for at least 32% of all cancers globally. Of skin cancers other than melanoma, about 80% are basal-cell cancers. In the United States about 35% of white males and 25% of white females are affected by BCC at some point in their life.
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Wikipedia