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Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, but it can be easy to miss or confuse with another skin problem.
Doctors usually discover cancer during a routine skin exam, said Dr. Melissa Piliang, chair of the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic. “A patient may not even have noticed” signs of the disease, she said.
in a Facebook post This week, health and fitness personality Richard Simmons announced that he had been treated for basal cell carcinoma. He said the first thing he noticed was a “strange-looking lump” under his eye that he tried to treat with Neosporin. Only after consulting a dermatologist, Mr. Simmons was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.
Although it may be difficult for patients to identify, basal cell carcinoma, which is estimated to affect several million people in the United States every year, it is very treatable. Here’s what you should know about causes, prevention and treatment.
What causes basal cell carcinoma? And how is it different from other skin cancers?
People often develop basal cell carcinoma after exposure to ultraviolet radiation through sunlight, tanning beds, or sunlamps. The disease is the result of chronic, cumulative exposure, said Dr. Karen Connolly, a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Research suggests It is more common in adults over 40 years of age.
The disease occurs in the basal cells, which are found within the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin. Another type of skin cancer can develop in the squamous cells, which are located just above them.
Basal cell carcinoma is more common and much less deadly than another form of skin cancer, melanoma, which grows in skin cells called melanocytes. Melanoma is especially dangerous because it can grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body if left untreated. Melanomas typically appear darker or browner than basal cell carcinomas, Dr. Connolly said, but patients should consult a dermatologist about any lesions that concern them.
What does basal cell carcinoma look like?
Basal cell carcinomas are common in areas of the body most exposed to the sun: typically the head, face, neck and arms, said Dr. Paras Vakharia, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern Medicine. Most of the time, the lesions are “pink and pearly,” he said. “They almost seem a little shiny,” he said. Sometimes they can be brown, blue or gray. The lesions can also bleed easily, even when people wash their faces, Dr. Piliang said.
“When I educate patients, I tell them to look for pimples that don’t cure,” he added.
People sometimes confuse basal cell carcinoma with acne scars, minor skin lesions, moles, warts, or freckles. according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
How is basal cell carcinoma treated and prevented?
Basal cell carcinoma grows slowly, but it is important to address the disease as soon as possible, doctors said.
Doctors use several different approaches to treat the condition. one is known as mohs surgery, in which doctors remove thin layers of skin, one at a time, to remove cancerous lesions. In other cases, doctors may perform a procedure called electrodessication and curettage or, as Dr. Connolly put it, “burn and scrape” the growths from the skin. If the carcinoma is very small, it can be treated with chemotherapy cream, Dr. Vakharia said.
Basal cell carcinomas are rarely fatal. Dr. Connolly said patients sometimes “hear the word ‘cancer’ and think, ‘I’m going to die from this.'” But, she explained, most cases “really have no effect on the patients’ overall health.”
However, Dr. Vakharia said a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma should be a clear signal to patients that “they need to be more careful about sun exposure.” He encouraged people to wear wide-brimmed hats that completely protect the face from ultraviolet rays and to use sunscreen with at least SPF 30. Reapply sunscreen if you will be outdoors for an extended period, he added.
And “using tanning beds is a big no-no,” Dr. Connolly said. A growing body of evidence has linked indoor tanning to an increased risk of melanoma, he said.
If you have had a significant amount of sun exposure throughout your life, have had sunburns so severe that they blistered, or have a family history of skin cancer, you may want to see a dermatologist for an initial skin exam, Dr. Vakharia added. .
And in general, people should take time to scan their skin every month, Dr. Connolly said, to “make sure there’s nothing new that’s growing or changing quickly.”