Basal cell carcinoma
| Basal cell carcinoma | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ulcerated basal cell carcinoma affecting the skin of the nose in an elderly individual | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Oncology |
| ICD-10 | C44 (ILDS C44.L21) |
| ICD-9-CM | 173 |
| ICD-O | M8090/3-8093/3 |
| OMIM | 605462 |
| DiseasesDB | 1264 |
| MedlinePlus | 000824 |
| eMedicine | med/214 |
| Patient UK | Basal-cell carcinoma |
| MeSH | D002280 |
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (also known as basalioma or basal cell cancer), is the most common skin cancer, and one of the most common cancers in the United States. While BCC has a very low metastatic risk, this tumor can cause significant disfigurement by invading surrounding tissues.
Individuals with a basal-cell carcinoma typically present with a shiny, pearly skin nodule. However, superficial basal-cell cancer can present as a red patch similar to eczema. Infiltrative or morpheaform basal-cell cancers can present as a skin thickening or scar tissue – making diagnosis difficult without using tactile sensation and a skin biopsy. It is often difficult to visually distinguish basal-cell cancer from acne scar, actinic elastosis, and recent cryodestruction inflammation.
Basal-cell carcinoma, nodular type
Basal cell carcinoma in a sun-exposed area
About two thirds of basal-cell carcinomas occur on sun-exposed areas of the body. One-third occur on areas of the body that are not exposed to sunlight, emphasizing the genetic susceptibility of basal-cell cancer.
To diagnose basal cell carcinomas, a skin biopsy is performed for histopathologic analyses. The most common method is a shave biopsy under local anesthesia. Most nodular basal cell cancers can be diagnosed clinically; however, other variants can be very difficult to distinguish from benign lesions such as intradermal naevus, sebaceomas, fibrous papules, early acne scars, and hypertrophic scarring.
...
Wikipedia