Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, but it can be easy to miss or mistake for another skin issue. Doctors often discover the cancer during a routine skin check, said Dr. Melissa Piliang, chair of the dermatology department at Cleveland Clinic. “A patient may not have even noticed” signs of the disease, she said. While it can be difficult for patients to identify, basal cell carcinoma – which is estimated to affect several million people in the United States each year – is very treatable. Here’s what to know about causes, prevention and treatment.
WHAT CAUSES BASAL CELL CARCINOMA? AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM OTHER SKIN CANCERS?
People usually develop basal cell carcinoma after they are exposed to UV radiation through sunlight, tanning beds or sun lamps. The disease is the result of cumulative, chronic exposure, said Dr. Karen Connolly, a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Research suggests it is most common in adults older than 40. The disease starts in basal cells, which are found within the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin. Another kind of skin cancer can develop in squamous cells, which lie just above them. Basal cell carcinoma is more common and far less deadly than another form of skin cancer, melanoma, which grows in skin cells called melanocytes. Melanoma is especially dangerous because it can grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body if untreated. Melanomas typically look darker or browner than basal cell carcinomas.
WHAT DOES BASAL CELL CARCINOMA LOOK LIKE?
Basal cell carcinomas are common in the areas of the body most exposed to the sun: typically, the head, face, neck and arms. Most of the time, the lesions are “pink and pearly, they almost look a little bit shiny. They can sometimes be brown, blue or gray. The lesions may also bleed easily, including when people wash their faces. People sometimes mistake basal cell carcinoma for acne scars, minor skin injuries, moles, warts or freckles, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
HOW DO YOU TREAT AND PREVENT BASAL CELL CARCINOMA?
Basal cell carcinoma grows slowly, but it’s important to address the disease as soon as possible. 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 get rid of cancerous lesions. In other cases, doctors might perform a procedure called electrodesiccation and curettage – or, a “burn and scrape” of skin growths. If the carcinoma is very small, it can be treated with a chemotherapy cream. Basal cell carcinomas are rarely fatal. However, a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma should be a clear sign to patients that “they need to be more cautious with sun exposure. And “tanning-bed use is a big no-no,” If you’ve had a significant amount of sun exposure throughout your life, have had sunburns so intense they blistered or have a family history of skin cancer, you may want to see a dermatologist for a baseline skin exam. And in general, people should take time to scan their skin about every month, to “make sure there’s nothing new growing, changing rapidly.”
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