Skin Cancer (Non-Melanoma)
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:
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
Causes
Melanomas usually develop because of the following reasons and risk factors:
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
