Treating Skin Cancer: BCC and SCC
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Video Description:Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two types of non-melanoma skin cancers. Luckily, there are many options for treating them.
Transcript:A diagnosis of a basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma cancer can be frightening. The first step to easing worry is to become aware of your treatment options. Basal cell carcinoma, or BCC, and squamous cell carcinoma, SCC, are classified as non-melanoma skin cancers. They account for 96 percent of all diagnosed skin cancers.Luckily, both can usually be treated with surgical procedures. Although BCC and SCC are both non-melanoma skin cancers, they are identified based on the cells from which they originate. BCC tumors grow from the deepest layer of the epidermis, the stratum basale, while SCCs arise from cells above the basal layer. Although they take different forms, non-melanoma skin cancers are usually treated in similar ways. One of the most common procedures for removing a tumor is called curettage and electrodesiccation. Curettage and electrodescciation requires local anesthesia. The procedure begins by scraping a tumor with a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette. Then, an electric needle burns the remaining cancer cells. Usually 3 cycles of wettage and electodessicayion are performed during the treatment Although curettage usually needs to be repeated, the success rate can be as high as 95 percent. Another option for removing non-melanoma tumors is excision. This is done by surgically removing a tumor and a patch of skin around it. After excision, the doctor will examine the removed skin to ensure that the cancer has been entirely removed. A doctor may also choose to freeze a cancerous tumor with liquid nitrogen. This procedure— known as cryosurgery—results in the sloughing away of damaged cells, allowing healthy skin to grow. Another effective treatment for non-melanoma cancers is Mohs micrographic surgery. This removal is performed while the patient is under local anesthesia. Layers of skin are removed one at a time and examined under a microscope until it is ensured that the entire tumor has been removed.Mohs surgery is not for everyone. It is an intense, lengthy operation that requires a highly specialized surgeon. However, the surgery spares as much skin as possible and has the highest reported five-year-cure rate for both BCC and SCC. While surgical procedures are the most common treatment for non-melanoma tumors, there are less invasive methods for removing cancerous cells. One of them, photodynamic therapy, destroys affected cells using a combination of medicine and a laser blue light source. When undergoing photodynamic therapy, a patient will start by applying a topical medication. Several hours later, a dermatologist treats the affected area with a light source. The interaction of the medicine and the light causes affected cells to die and peel away. Another method of treatment is a topical cream called Imiquimod. This cream is only approved to treat BCC tumors and pre-cancerous lesions called actinic keratoses. Imiquimod is applied by the patient once a day for five to seven weeks. The medication modifies the skin’s immune system, encouraging it to reject the sun-damaged cells. There are many effective treatments for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Please talk to your dermatologist about the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Category:Cancer/Skin Cancer
Tags:skin cancer, cancer, dermatologist, cancer treatment, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, electrodesiccation, curettage, bcc, scc, bcc treatment, scc treatment, carcinoma treatment
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