I. Definition:

A basal cell carcinoma is a form of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinomas are the result of sun damage to the skin. Basal cell carcinomas enlarge slowly and steadily and can invade neighboring tissue, like the eye, but they usually do not spread to distant parts of the body (metastasize). The only way to tell for sure if a skin growth is cancerous is to biopsy it. This involves removing a small piece of the skin and having a pathologist look at it under the microscope in a medical laboratory. A biopsy does not remove the cancer, it only takes off the very top (like the tip of an iceberg). Sometimes the skin will heal after the biopsy because it grows over the cancer. This does not mean the cancer is gone, it means the cancer is now covered with a blanket of skin. If the cancer is not removed completely it can go deep into the skin and cause great harm.

II. Causes:

Repeated, prolonged sun exposure causes skin damage which may develop into basal cell carcinoma. The sun damage responsible for a basal cell carcinoma usually occurred years before the cancer begins. Basal cell carcinomas are most common on the face because the face receives more sunlight than other parts of the body.

Fair-skinned individuals are more prone to skin cancer than darker persons, since skin pigment protects the skin. Persons of African ancestry with very dark skin practically never get basal cell carcinoma.

People who get one basal cell carcinoma are likely to develop more. Often people will develop a second basal cell carcinoma close to the spot were one has been treated because the surrounding skin is just as damaged by the sun as the skin where the first basal cell carcinoma grew.

III. Prevention:

Sun exposure and sunbathing produce gradual skin damage even if sunburn is avoided. Ten to forty years can pass between the time of sun exposure and the development of skin cancer.

Sun damage is permanent and irreversible. You should put on sun-screen or moisturizer with an SPF of 15 or higher everyday before leaving the house. Don't go overboard and try to avoid the sun completely. The damage is already done; a little more sun will not make much difference.

People who have had a basal cell carcinoma should have a skin exam every six months to one year.

IV. Treatment:

We cannot be sure whether a suspicious growth is a basal cell carcinoma just by looking at it. In order to be sure, we must take a small piece of the growth and send it for microscopic analysis (biopsy). The skin will often heal after a biopsy. This is because the skin grows over the cancer like a blanket.

After a biopsy has been done and a basal cell carcinoma is found by the pathologist, the tumor needs to be removed. Basal cell carcinomas are not cured by doing a biopsy - further surgery is required. Surgery always leaves a scar. There is no way to remove a basal cell carcinoma without leaving a scar. Often the scar can be hidden in the skin folds. Basal cell carcinomas are often much bigger under the skin then they appear on the surface. What one can see on the surface is only the tip of the iceberg. That is why the hole left after removing a basal cell cancer is often much larger than what can be seen before surgery.

The most important point about skin cancer is it needs to be completely removed. Many people have lost body parts because of these tumors and some people have lost their lives.

The Skin Site 1997 - 2000 Michelle Soignée, Inc.