Skin Integrity

The following information has been reproduced directly from the Skin Cancer College of Australia and New Zealand website.

SCC is the second commonest skin cancer and is more dangerous than BCC as it can spread to other parts of the body especially if the tumour is thick and is located on the scalp, ear or lip. They cause approximately 300 deaths each year in Australia.

‘Sun-spots’ (actinic keratosis or solar keratosis) and ‘Bowen’s disease’ are technically squamous cell carcinomas but they have not yet become invasive. Only a very small percentage of sun-spots ever become invasive SCCs but it is thought that most SCC’s do start out as a sun-spot, hence sun-spots should be treated. When a sun-spot become a SCC, it usually stings or becomes sore and then grows fairly quickly.

Keratoacanthoma is a rapidly growing SCC like tumour. It is benign but nevertheless very destructive.

    Pictures of Solar Kertosis (Click to enlarge)

SCC can also occur in other non-sun bearing sites such as bowel, cervix, lungs and throat.

Causes for SCCs

The vast majority of SCCs are due to chronic exposure of fair skinned individual UV light. Other causes are smoking (particularly important for lip/mouth/tongue cancers), scars, chronic leg ulcers, organ transplant immunosuppressive drugs and infection with human papilloma virus

Treatment options:

SCCs are easily curable if treatment is early. Treatment options are:

• Excision – again, usually the best option
• Freezing with liquid nitrogen is effective foe well circumscribed single sunspots
• Topical creams such as Efudix and Aladara can be used for sun-spots
• Photodynamic therapy with Metvix, can also be used for sun-spots
• Curettage and cautery - a technique of scraping and burning the lesion, useful for superficial SCCs
• Micro-graphic controlled surgery where the excised tissue is examined immediately by the surgeon to see if it is all gone – excellent technique for the more aggressive types of SCC
• Radiotherapy for some advanced cases where surgery cannot guarantee complete cure

Unlike BCCs sun-screen does have a role in preventing and promoting regression of SCCs and sun-spots

           Pictures of SCC ( Click to enlarge)