Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
The second most common skin cancer, affecting more than 200,000 people each year.- Arises from the epidermis and resembles the squamous cells that compromise most of the upper layers of skin; a small percentage become invasive.
- Arises from the epidermis and resembles the squamous cells that compromise most of the upper layers of skin; a small percentage become invasive.
Causes
Chronic exposure to sunlight causes most cases, explaining why tumors appear most frequently on sun-exposed parts of the body: the face, neck, bald scalp, hands, shoulders, arms and back. The rim of the ear and lower lip are especially vulnerable. Squamous cell carcinomas may also occur where skin has suffered certain kinds of injury: burns, scars, infections, long-standing sores and sites previously exposed to certain chemicals or radiation. In addition, chronic skin inflammation or medical conditions that suppress the immune system over an extended period of time may also encourage its development. Sometimes, squamous cell carcinoma arises spontaneously on what appears to be healthy, undamaged skin.
Prevalence
Anyone with a substantial history of sun exposure has the potential to develop squamous cell carcinoma. Those with fair skin, light hair, and blue or green eyes are at highest risk. Occupations that require workers to spend long hours outdoors and people who spend their leisure time in the sun are particularly susceptible. Although dark-skinned individuals of any
background are less likely than light-skinned individuals to develop skin cancer, it is still essential to practice sun protection.
Warning Signs
- A persistent, scaly red patch with irregular borders that sometimes crusts or bleeds
- An elevated growth with a central depression that occasionally bleeds. A growth of this type may rapidly increase in size
- A wart-like growth that crusts and occasionally bleeds
- An open sore that bleeds and crusts and persists for weeks
- These growths usually appear as thickened, rough scaly patches that can bleed if bumped. They often look like warts and sometimes appear as open sores with a raised border and a crusted surface over an elevated pebbly base
- Squamous cell carcinomas occur most frequently on areas of the body that have been exposed to the sun for prolonged periods - usually, the skin in these areas reveals telltale signs of sun damage, such as wrinkling, changes in pigmentation, and loss of elasticity
Importance
Early detection is critical. When detected in its early stages, squamous cell carcinoma is almost always curable, though the larger the tumor has grown, more extensive treatment is needed. Anyone who has had one squamous cell carcinoma has an increased chance of another developing. That is because the damage the skin has already received from the sun cannot be reversed.
**Used with permission: The Skin Cancer Foundation