Skin Cancer (Non-Melanoma)

• Overview
• Causes
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Overview

Non-melanoma skin cancer refers to any cancer of the skin, which is not a melanoma. The two major types of non-melanoma skin cancers are:

1. Basal cell carcinoma
2. Squamous cell carcinoma

Causes

Melanomas usually develop because of the following reasons and risk factors:

• Exposure to UV light
• Fair skin
• History of sunburn

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of non-melanoma skin cancers can be listed as the following:

• An open sore that persists for weeks
• An exposed sore that bleeds, crusts or oozes, and stays open for numerous weeks
• A reddish, elevated or irritated patch that may crust or itch, but rarely hurts
• A shiny pink, red, pearly white, or translucent bump
• A pink enlargement with an elevated border and crusted central indentation
• A scar-like, yellow, white, or waxy area, often with a loosely defined border
• An exposed sore that bleeds, oozes, or crusts and remains open for several weeks
• A wart-like growth
• A raised enlargement with a rough surface and a central depression

Diagnosis

Some of the following biopsy techniques are used to diagnose nonmelanoma skin cancer:

• Punch biopsy
• Incisional biopsy
• Excisional biopsy

Treatment

Treatment is subjected to the stage of the disease. The following are all part of the cancer treatment plan, used in combination:

• Surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Biological therapy