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What The Mayo Clinic Has To Say About
Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Definition
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Squamous Cell Carcinomas Squamous cell carcinomas are another common form of skin cancer, and one which causes nearly two thousands deaths annually. This wart-type growth has irregular borders and can also be treated with the eggplant extract. |
Squamous cell carcinoma is a form of skin cancer.
The other common types of skin cancer are melanoma and basal cell carcinoma.
Squamous cell carcinoma rarely causes further problems when identified and treated early.
Untreated, squamous cell carcinoma can grow large or spread to other parts of your body, causing serious complications.
Most squamous cell carcinomas result from prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, either from sunlight or from tanning beds or lamps.
Avoiding UV light as much as possible is the best protection against all types of skin cancer.
Sunscreen is an important part of a sun safety program, but by itself doesn’t completely prevent squamous cell carcinoma or other types of skin cancer.
Symptoms
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When To See A Doctor Squamous cell carcinomas may be difficult to distinguish from normal skin, especially in their early stages. See your dermatologist if you have a sore or scab that doesn’t heal in about two months or a flat patch of scaly skin that won’t go away. |
Although squamous cell carcinomas usually develop on sun-exposed skin, they can occur anywhere on your body, including inside your mouth, on your anus, and on the genitals in both men and women.
The appearance of the tumors can vary, but the most common forms include:
- A firm, red nodule on your face, lower lip, ears, neck, hands or arms, that may bleed sometimes
- A flat lesion with a scaly crust on your face, ears, neck, hands or arms
- A new ulceration or raised area on a pre-existing scar or ulcer
- An ulcer or flat, white patch inside your mouth
- A red, raised patch or ulcerated sore on or in the anus or on your genitals
Squamous cell carcinomas are usually slow growing and can be difficult to spot, especially when they appear on skin that has other signs of sun damage, such as changes in pigmentation, loss of elasticity and wrinkling.
They can also be mistaken for actinic keratoses — rough, scaly, dark brown or pink patches that appear after years of sun exposure.
A small number of actinic keratoses eventually develop into squamous cell carcinomas.
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Causes
Squamous cells lie just below the outer surface of your skin. Squamous cell carcinomas develop when cell death and renewal no longer occur as they should. Ordinarily, new cells push older cells toward your skin’s surface, and the older cells die and are sloughed off — a process controlled by DNA, your body’s genetic material. But if DNA is damaged, this orderly pattern is disrupted, causing cells to grow out of control.
The DNA-UV Connection
Most of the damage to DNA in skin cells results from exposure to UV radiation from sunlight and commercial tanning lamps and beds. The damage is cumulative, so the more time you spend in the sun or in a tanning booth, the greater your chance of developing skin cancer. Your risk increases even more if most of your outdoor exposure occurs at times of the day when the sun is strongest.
Although sun exposure causes most cases of squamous cell cancinoma, other factors also can lead to this type of cancer, including:
- Therapeutic radiation. Psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) treatments for psoriasis and X-rays to the head or neck increase your risk of squamous cell carcinoma as well as of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. It can take years for skin cancers to develop, and radiation-induced carcinomas can occur later in life due to radiation treatments for childhood acne or ringworm. The likelihood that therapeutic radiation will cause cancer depends on a number of factors, including the pigmentation in your skin and the total dose of radiation you receive.
- Chemical toxins. Arsenic, a toxic metal that’s found widely in the environment, is a well-known cause of squamous cell carcinoma and other cancers. Though arsenic contaminates the soil, air and groundwater, most people get their greatest exposure in food, especially seafood, rice, mushrooms and chicken. Farmers, refinery workers, and people who drink contaminated well water or live near smelting plants are likely to ingest higher levels of arsenic.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV). This group of viruses has more than 100 strains, many of which are sexually transmitted. Some of the viruses cause genital warts. Others can lead to cancer of the vagina, cervix or penis. Now, researchers think that infection with certain types of HPV may also play a role in the development of squamous cell skin cancers.
- Immunosuppressant drugs. Many people who take medications to prevent organ rejection after transplant surgery develop squamous cell carcinoma, though symptoms may not appear for years after transplantation. People who have had heart transplants are at greatest risk because they tend to take more immune-suppressing drugs at higher doses than do people who have other types of transplants.
Risk factors
Factors that can contribute to squamous cell carcinoma include:
- Chronic sun exposure. Spending a lot of time in the sun — or in commercial tanning booths — is the most common cause of squamous cell carcinoma. The threat is greater if you live in an area that’s sunny most of the time. The risk is also greater if most of your exposure occurred when you were young or you inherited a sensitivity that causes your DNA to sustain more damage than usual from UV light.
- Use of tanning beds. The risk of squamous cell carcinoma is more than doubled in people who use tanning beds regularly.
- Fair skin. If you have very light skin or freckle or sunburn easily, you’re more likely to develop skin cancer than is someone with a darker complexion. Fair-skinned people of Northern European ancestry are particularly at risk.
- Your age. Squamous cell carcinoma is more likely to occur in older adults. Most cases occur in people over 45 years old. However, squamous cell carcinoma is occurring with increasing frequency in younger people.
- Your sex. Men are far more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma than women are, probably because of their greater exposure to the sun.
- A personal history of skin cancer. If you’ve had squamous cell carcinoma once, you’re much more likely to develop it again.
- A family history of skin cancer. If members of your immediate family have had skin cancer, your risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma is higher.
- Weakened immune system. People with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of many diseases, including skin cancer. This includes people who have chronic leukemias, other cancers or HIV/AIDS, and those who have undergone organ transplants or who are, for other reasons, taking medications that suppress the immune system.
- Rare genetic disorder. People with xeroderma pigmentosum, which causes an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, have a greatly increased risk of developing skin cancer because they have little or no ability to repair skin damaged by ultraviolet light.
- Smoking. Smoking may increase your risk of squamous cell carcinoma, and your risk is especially high if you are a current smoker. Tobacco may damage DNA, making cancerous changes in cells more likely.
- Skin inflammation or injury. You have a slightly higher chance of developing squamous cell carcinoma if you have a large scar, a skin infection or an inflammatory skin disease, such as psoriasis.
Complications
When treated early, squamous cell carcinomas generally cause no problems. Untreated squamous cell carcinoma can destroy healthy tissue around the tumor, spread to the lymph nodes or other organs, and may be fatal, although this is uncommon.
People who have had organ transplants or have chronic lymphocytic leukemia or HIV/AIDS are far more likely to have an aggressive form of squamous cell carcinoma than are people who are otherwise healthy.
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