Skin cancer that forms in squamous cells (flat cells that form the surface of the skin) is called squamous cell carcinoma. Experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) report that squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of non-melanoma skin cancer following basal cell carcinoma, which makes up 90 percent of skin cancers and is the most easily treated. When diagnosed and treated early, squamous cell carcinoma rarely results in further difficulties. If left untreated, it can move into other areas of your body (metastasize) and cause serious problems.
UV Radiation and Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cells sit just below the outer surface of the epidermis (the topmost layer of skin). Squamous cell carcinoma develops when the normal cycle of the shedding of dead skin cells and regeneration no longer occurs as it should because of damaged DNA. According to the Mayo Clinic, the harmed DNA in skin cells is caused by exposure to UV radiation from the sun, tanning beds or lamps. The more often you are exposed to UV rays, the greater your risk of getting skin cancer.
Other Causes of Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Experts at the Mayo Clinic say that psoriasis patients who undergo therapeutic radiation (psoralen plus ultraviolet A) treatments for psoriasis and people who have X-rays to the head or neck are at a greater risk of squamous cell carcinoma. Additionally, up to 80 percent of people who take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent organ rejection after transplant surgery will develop squamous cell carcinoma at some point in their lives.
Risks
The average age that squamous cell carcinoma is diagnosed is 66. A person who is fair skinned or easily sunburns is more apt to get skin cancer than someone who has a darker complexion. Smoking increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. Mayo Clinic researchers suspect that tobacco damages DNA, making cells more vulnerable to cancerous changes.
Diagnosis
The UMMC says that squamous cell carcinoma can appear as a hard, red nodule on the face, lips, ears, neck, hands, arms or as a flat lesion with a crusty or flakey surface. A doctor will examine a patient's skin and may remove a small skin sample with a surgical blade (biopsy) that will be sent to a pathologist for review under a microscope.
Treatment
Removal methods for squamous cell carcinoma include freezing them with liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery) or simple excision when a doctor cuts out the cancerous tissue and a surrounding margin of healthy skin. Laser therapy is frequently used to treat surface carcinomas on the lips. A laser's intense beam of light vaporizes growths causing minimal damage to surrounding tissue. Radiation treatment may be used for larger cancers on the lips, eyelids or ears that may be hard to treat with surgery. Sometimes chemotherapy creams are used topically for surface cancers.
Prevention
A few simple self-care methods can decrease a person's risk of this highly preventable of cancer. Midday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) sun exposure and tanning booths should also be avoided. Wearing sunscreen year-round and periodic checks for new growths or changes in birthmarks, moles, bumps and freckles are also recommended.
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