Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous Cell Carcinoma – General Information

In most cases, Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a result of prolonged exposure to UV radiation, usually from the sunlight but also from certain tanning beds or lamps. The best protection against this type of medical condition is avoiding the ultraviolet light as much as possible. As a part of sun safety program, sun screen plays an important role, but only applying it does not prevent completely this kind of medical condition or other types of skin cancer to appear. It is very important to discover and treat the disease in an early stage because it is highly curable and causes minimal complications. But if it is left untreated, it can destroy the surrounding healthy tissues and will eventually spread to the patient’s lymph nodes or other vital organs, leading to the death of the individual.

The patient has an increased risk of developing Squamous Cell Carcinoma if he lives in a sunny or high altitude location, or if he has been exposed to UV light in childhood or he inherits a sensitivity that causes the DNA to sustain more skin damage that usual. There are also other risk factors that can lead to the appearance of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, including the patient’s sex (usually, male patients are more prone to develop this medical condition than female patients), a personal history of skin cancer, weakened immune system, especially if the patient suffers from certain medical condition such as chronic leukemia, certain cancers, HIV etc. Patients who suffer an organ transplant can also be affected by this skin problem.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma – Symptoms

Usually, the Squamous Cell Carcinoma develops on the skin that has been exposed directly to the UV light, but there are cases in which it can develop in any place of the patient’s body including inside the patient’s mouth or anus or on the genitals in both male and female patients. Usually, the signs and symptoms of this kind of medical condition can differ, but the most common manifestations can include a firm, red nodule on the patient’s face, lower lip, ears, neck, or arms and a flat lesion accompanied by a scaly crust. Also, an ulceration or raised area on another scar or ulcer, an ulcer or flat, white patch inside the patient’s mouth, and a raised, red, patch or ulcerated sore in the patient’s anus or around the genitals can often appear.

In most cases, Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a disease that develops slowly and considering this fact, is also very challenging to diagnose, especially when it develops on the part of the patient’s skin that has other scars of sun damage, such as changes in pigmentation, loss of elasticity and wrinkling. Many doctors confuse the condition with another similar disease called actinic keratoses, characterized by a rough, scaly, dark brown or pink patch on the patient’s skin. Usually, this condition can progress, especially when it is not treated. Treated in an early stage of development, the disease can rarely cause complications; left untreated it can spread to the surrounding lymph nodes or other vital organs.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma – Treatment

To diagnose Squamous Cell Carcinoma, doctors usually can remove a small skin sample to examine it under a microscope, which is eventually sent to a pathologist who is specialized in diagnosing skin disorders. When the patient is suspected of suffering from Squamous Cell Carcinoma, the Carcinoma is firstly shaved off from the top layers of skin using a surgical blade. If the disease has spread to the surrounding tissues located deeper into the patient’s skin, that part of the skin can be partially or fully removed, performing a procedure called incisional or exicisional biopsy. It is very important for doctors to talk to the patient about these biopsies and their effects, because they can leave scars. In most cases, the disease can be completely removed with minor surgery or with available medication.

Usually, the treatment for Squamous Cell Carcinoma differs depending on the tumors size, location and severity in manifestations. The most common treatment options that can be applied on a patient who suffers from this kind of medical condition can include freezing, simple excision, laser therapy, Moh’s surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The freezing procedure is usually characterized by removing the cancerous cells by freezing them using a liquid called nitrogen. This kind of procedure is usually effective on small tumors and that is why is not recommended to use it on larger tumors, especially if they are located on the patient’s nose, ears or eyelids. The simple excision procedure consists on cutting out the affected tissue and the surrounding healthy tissue. In most cases, doctors recommend a wide excision, which consists in removing the additional normal skin that surrounds the tumor.

When the procedure is applied on the patient’s face, in order to minimize scaring, doctors can cooperate with a trained doctor specialized in skin reconstruction. In treating Squamous Cell Carcinoma, doctors can also apply laser therapy, which is usually characterized by an intense beam of light that vaporized certain growths, causing minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue and reduces the risk of bleeding, swelling and especially scaring. This procedure is usually applied on tumors located on the patient’s face, neck and ears. For severe cases of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, the most common procedure that can be successfully applied is Moh’s surgery. The procedure is usually effective in patients who present a tumor larger than two centimeters, a tumor that recurred over time, a tumor located on the face, mucous membranes or genitals. This type of surgical approach consists in removing the tumor layer by layer, examining each layer until no cancerous cells are present. The bad part about radiation therapy is that it has an increased rate of recurrence. In some cases, the doctor can choose to treat the condition with chemotherapy that can include anti agents applicable directly on the affected area of the skin. The main drug of choice used to treat this skin disorder is Docetaxel, prescribed as Taxotere. Try to avoid losing a dose or overdosing.