Squamous cells of the skin make up the middle and outer layers of the skin.
Normally, cells in the body will grow and divide to replace old or damaged cells. This growth is usually precise. Once enough cells are produced to replace the old ones, normal cells stop dividing. Tumors occur when there is an error and cells continue to grow uncontrollably. Squamous cell skin cancer develops from squamous cells.
Squamous cell carcinoma most often appears on areas of the body that have been exposed to the sun, but may occur anywhere on your body. Squamous cell carcinoma is usually not life-threatening, but left untreated, squamous cell skin cancer can spread to other parts of the body (metastasize).
What are the symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma?
The signs of squamous cell skin cancer include:
- Any firm, red bump on sun-exposed skin, and the bump does not go away.
- Any patch of skin that feels scaly, bleeds or develops a crust. The patch may get bigger over a period of months and form a sore.
- Any skin growth that looks like a wart.
- Any sore that does not heal.
- Any area of thickened skin on the lower lip. This is more likely if you smoke or use chewing tobacco, or your lips are often exposed to the sun and wind.
What are the causes of squamous cell carcinoma?
Squamous cell skin cancer is most often caused by UV rays from the sun and other sources, like tanning beds.
Other factors may contribute to your risk of skin cancer when cancers develop on skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. Risk factors may include:
- Fair skin
- Use of tanning beds
- History of sunburns
- History of skin cancer
- Immune system conditions
- Genetic disorder
How is squamous cell carcinoma diagnosed?
If you or your doctor is concerned about an area of your skin, your doctor will take a close look at the area and ask you questions about it.
Your doctor may also want to do a biopsy. To do a biopsy, the doctor takes a sample of tissue from the area to test in a lab. A biopsy can tell you if the cells are cancer.
How is squamous cell carcinoma treated?
Your doctor will want to remove all of the cancer. There are several ways to remove it. It depends on how big it is, where it is on your body, and your age and overall health.
Treatment options include:
- Surgery to remove the cancer
- Mohs micrographic surgery. This surgery removes the skin cancer one layer at a time, checking each layer of cancer cells right after it is removed.
- Curettage and electrosurgery. Curettage uses a spoon0shaped instrument (curette) to scrape off the skin cancer and electrosurgery controls the bleeding and destroys any remaining cancer cells.
- Cryosurgery. Cryosurgery destroys the skin cancer by freezing it with liquid nitrogen.
- Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses X-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells It may be done if surgery isn’t an option.
Other treatment options include chemotherapy cream and photodynamic therapy.