Squamous Cell Carcinoma of The Skin
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of The Skin
It is defined as the cancer of skin cell which is present in the middle and outer layer of the skin. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It is aggressive type of tumor but complications are not life threatening.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms include:
- Firm red nodule
- Sore scaly crust
- Rough scaly patch
- Raised wart like sore
- Tenderness
Causes
The exact cause of the skin cancer is not known yet. It is assumed that when mutation causes changing in the cell’s machinery which is called DNA. Then growth of cell starts in un-control fashion and make large number of abnormal cells which disturb the whole organ. UV radiation is the main cause of mutation occur in the squamous cells of skin.
Complications
If left untreated it may cause the following complications:
- Increases in size
- Involved mucus membrane of oral cavity
- Severe pain in nodule
Diagnosis
Diagnostic procedure includes:
- Examination of the skin to see the physical changes of the skin.
- Skin biopsy to check the type and stage of cancer
Treatment
Treatment depend upon the health condition of patient and the severity of signs and symptom of cancer:
- Surgery to remove the tumor or cancerous cells to prevent the metastasize.
- Radiotherapy to kill the cancer cells through radiation.
- Chemotherapy use drugs to kill the cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy to strong the immune system to fight with cancer
- Cryosurgery to freeze the cancer cells