What is basal cell carcinoma?

基底细胞癌(BCC)是一种皮肤通过r that begins in the basal cells. Normal basal cells line the epidermis. They’re the skin cells that replace old cells with new ones. Cancer of the basal cells results in tumors that appear on the skin’s surface. These tumors often look like sores, growths, bumps, scars, or red patches.

While BCC almost never spreads to other places in the body (metastasizes), it can still result in disfigurement. In rare cases, it can spread to other parts of the body. If it does, it can become life-threatening.

BCC is the most common type of skin cancer. Approximately 4 million cases of it are diagnosed in the United States every year.

Almost all BCCs develop on parts of the body frequently exposed to the sun. Tumors can develop on the face, ears, shoulders, neck, scalp, and arms. In very rare cases, tumors develop on areas not often exposed to sunlight.

BCCs are typically painless. The only symptom is the growth or change in the appearance of the skin. There are different types of BCC. Each has a different appearance:

  • Pigmented BCC：这种类型出现为棕色，蓝色或黑色病变，这通常具有半透明和凸起的边框。
  • Superficial BCC：这种类型采用皮肤上的红色贴片的外观，这通常是平坦的和鳞片状的。它继续增长，往往有一个凸起的边缘。当在背部或胸部时，它通常需要这种外观。
  • 非腐败性BCC.：这种类型看起来是白色，皮肤色或粉红色的皮肤上的凹凸。它通常是半透明的，血管下面是可见的。这是最常见的BCC类型。它最常出现在颈部，耳朵和脸上。它可以破裂，流血和结痂。
  • Morpheoform BCC.: This is the least common type of BCC. It typically resembles a scarlike lesion with a white and waxy appearance and no defined border. This type of carcinoma can indicate a particularly invasive form of BCC, which is more likely to be disfiguring.
  • Basosquamous BCC: This type of carcinoma carries traits of both BCC and squamous cell carcinoma, another type of skin cancer. It is extremely rare, but is more likely to metastasize compared with other types of skin cancer.

Skin cancers, including BCC, are primarily caused by long-term sun or ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. These cancers can also be caused by intense occasional exposure often resulting in sunburn.

In rarer cases, other factors can cause BCC. These include:

  • 接触辐射
  • exposure to arsenic
  • complications from scars, infections, vaccinations, tattoos, and burns
  • 慢性炎症皮肤状况

一旦诊断出BCC，重复发生的强烈可能性。

There are a number of risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing BCC. Some of these risk factors include:

  • 拥有BCC的家族史
  • having light skin
  • having skin that freckles or burns easily
  • having inherited syndromes that cause skin cancer, like disorders of the skin, nervous system, or endocrine glands
  • 有公平的皮肤，红色或金发，或浅色眼睛
  • being a man

还有其他不良风险因素。这些包括：

  • age, with increased age correlating with increased risk
  • 慢性阳光曝光
  • severe sunburn, especially during childhood
  • 生活在更高的高度或阳光明媚的位置
  • 暴露于放射治疗
  • exposure to arsenic
  • taking immunosuppressing drugs, especially after a transplant surgery

诊断BCC的第一步将是皮肤科医生的视觉检查。他们会检查你的皮肤头脑，寻找任何皮肤生长或褪色。他们还会询问您的病史，包括皮肤癌的家族史。

如果你的皮肤科医生发现任何变色或growths of concern, they’ll take a biopsy of the skin. To do this, they’ll inject a numbing agent into the skin before removing a small sample of the lesion for testing. The biopsy will be viewed under a microscope to look for skin cancer.

Your dermatologist will remove the growth if BCC is found. If you have an aggressive form of BCC, your doctor may take a biopsy of your lymph nodes to check for metastasis.

Treatment for basal cell carcinoma involves removing the growth. Your doctor will recommend a treatment depending on the type of BCC you have, the size of the lesion, and the location of the lesion. Treatment options include:

Curettage and electrodessication

In this procedure, the growth is scraped off with a curette. The tumor site is then burned with an electrocautery needle. It is extremely effective, especially on small lesions, though it may not be as effective on aggressive BCCs or high-risk sites. It can leave a round, white scar. This procedure has a 95 percent success rate.

切除手术

Your doctor will remove the tumor and surrounding border of normal skin around it with a scalpel. This procedure requires stitches to close the surgical site. This is often used for more advanced BCCs, which are at risk for affecting the surrounding skin. It may leave a small scar. This procedure has a 95 percent success rate.

Mohs显微手术

您的医生将移除含有肿瘤的薄膜组织。组织层被冷冻，然后在显微镜下映射。然后，医生将重复癌症存在的确切位置的程序。

该程序可以节省健康的组织，并在大约有最高的治愈率 99％ 。It’s often used for large tumors, or tumors in highly visible areas like the face or neck.

冷冻胶

冷静剂用于薄弱的癌症，不要延伸到皮肤上。您的医生可以用液氮冻结和杀死癌细胞。这在网站上存在神经损伤的风险，这可能导致感觉丧失。

尽管可以使用麻醉，但不需要切割。增长将泡泡或外壳结束。冷冻蛋糕最常用于BCC和具有出血障碍的人。它的成功率 85和90％ 。

BCC治疗通常很小，易于恢复。在愈合时，许多人会在手术或切除遗址体验一些疼痛。

Scarring is a common effect of BCC treatment. To lessen the appearance of scars, follow the after-treatment instructions your doctor gives you. These instructions will include:

  • Keep the excision site clean.
  • 每天多次涂抹像凡士林和新孢菌素的过度的软膏，以帮助它愈合，并用绷带保持覆盖。
  • Keep the wound moist. This will help it heal.

There is a high risk of recurrence of BCC. Take precautions to protect your skin from UV exposure.

基础细胞癌的最常见并发症是复发。BCC常见地重复，即使在成功治疗后也是如此。在某些情况下，BCC可能会在同一个地方再次出现。它也可能是毁容，特别是如果没有及时治疗。

BCC的诊断增加了发展其他类型皮肤癌的可能性。这包括黑色瘤, which can metastasize and is the most life-threatening form of skin cancer.

Rare, aggressive forms of BCC can invade the body beyond the skin. It can destroy bone, nerves, and muscles. In rare cases it can metastasize to other parts of the body, including key organs, and become life-threatening.

Avoiding or reducing your exposure to UV light is the best way to prevent BCC. Avoid direct sunlight during the brightest parts of the day and avoid using tanning beds.

Apply sunscreen regularly, even if you’re only going to be outside for a few minutes. Use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. You can also wear lightweight clothing and hats to protect against sun exposure. The exception to this is infants. Newborns should be kept out of the sun when possible. Don’t apply sunscreen to infants under six months.

早期检测BCC可以减少由去除肿瘤引起的瘢痕疙瘩。每年从皮肤科医生或原代医生中每年进行皮肤癌检查。您还应每月检查您的皮肤头部脚趾。如果您注意到任何皮肤发生变化，请与医生预约。