Basal Cell Skin Cancer

Basal cell skin cancer is considered to be the most slow-growing among all the other forms of skin cancer.

Basal cell skin cancer earlier was very common among the people in middle age but now recent studies say that it is not restricted to people with age 40 or more but is also common in young people.

As known skin cancer is divided into two groups namely non-melanoma and melanoma depending on its occurrence and symptoms. The basal cell skin cancer belongs to the non melanoma group. Studies say that almost 75% of skin cancer cases are of basal cell skin cancer type.

Generally the basal cell skin cancer starts in the epidermis the top layer of the skin. Usually its growth is very slow and at many times does not spread. It is supposed to be painless. It is very often characterized by a new skin growth which bleeds easily and does not cure by itself.

Basal Cell Skin Cancer Causes

Most of the time this basal cell skin cancer occurs on the skin area which is exposed to sunlight or the ultraviolet radiation. In some cases they even appear on the scalp.

The chances of developing basal cell skin cancer are more if a person has the following features:

  • Fair complexion or light-colored skin
  • Hair color is blond or red
  • Eye color blue or green
  • Most importantly over-exposure to sunlight or ultra violet radiation

As said earlier basal cell skin cancer almost never spreads but studies say that if left untreated, it may grow into surrounding areas and damage the nearby tissues and bone.

Basal Cell Skin Cancer Symptoms

In most of the cases the basal cell skin cancer may look only slightly different than normal skin. It may either appear as skin bump or growth that is sometimes white or light pink. Its appearance is light pink or brown colored giving it a fleshy look. It appears pearly or waxy. In some cases the skin may be just slightly raised or even flat.

The basal cell skin cancer symptoms may include:

  • A skin sore that bleeds easily
  • A sore that does not heal quickly or at all
  • A sore with oozing or crusting spots
  • A sore with a depressed (sunken) area in the middle
  • Appearance of a scar-like sore without having injured the area
  • Irregular blood vessels in or around the spot

Basal Cell Skin Cancer Treatment

As any other cancer the basal cell skin cancer treatment also varies depending on the size, depth, and location of the basal cell cancer. This cancerous growth in the form of sore will be removed using one of the following basal cancer cell skin treatment procedures:

  • Excision or a surgery is done to cut the tumor out and stitch to place the skin back together.
  • Curettage and electrodesiccation scrapes away the cancer and uses electricity to kill any remaining cancer cells.
  • Mohs surgery the most common type of surgery is used to cut out the skin. The cut out skin is taken to proceed with its observation under microscope and immediately to check for cancer. This process is repeated until it is proved that the skin sample is free of cancer.
  • Cryosurgery is a type of basal cell skin cancer treatment which freezes and kills the cancer cells.

Radiation another form of basal cell skin cancer treatment may be used in advanced cases where the cancer has spread to organs or lymph nodes or for tumors that can’t be treated with surgery.