What Is Basal Cell Carcinoma and How Is It Treated?

Cancer is creeping its way through America. More than four million cases of basal cell carcinoma occur every year.

This makes basal cell carcinoma one of the most prominent cancers in the United States. The odds are that you or someone you love will come down with carcinoma. The best way to protect yourself is to get the facts. 

What is basal cell carcinoma? What does basal cell carcinoma look like, and how do doctors diagnose a case? What does treatment for basal cell carcinoma entail? 

Answer these questions and you can be part of the solution for carcinoma. Here is your quick guide.

The Basics of Basal Cell Carcinoma

Your epidermis contains five layers of skin, including the basal layer, which contains thousands of basal cells. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a form of skin cancer that can occur in any layer, though many carcinomas appear in the basal cells. 

BCC is just one type of skin cancer. Melanoma affects melanocytes, and most tumors stay on the upper layers of the skin. You can have BCC and melanoma simultaneously.

Causes

There are a few different causes of basal cell carcinoma. UV rays can penetrate through the layers of the skin and cause mutations in the basal cells.

Radiation of any kind can also cause BCC. Some cancer patients receive radiation therapy, which can kill tumors in other parts of the body but cause tumors in the skin. People who are exposed to radiation in laboratories or work settings are also at high risk. 

People with a weak immune system can develop BCC. In order to prevent basal cell carcinoma, they should avoid sun exposure and take pills to improve their immune system.

Detection and Diagnosis

BCC can be hard to detect until cancer starts to grow. At first, the carcinoma may make the skin red and shiny. As time goes on, it can irritate blood vessels, causing bleeding.

BCC can resemble scars, acne, and other aberrations on the skin. In order to be sure that someone has carcinoma, a doctor must conduct a skin biopsy by cutting a piece of skin off and running tests on it.

Treatment

BCC is one of the most survivable cancers. Carcinomas rarely metastasize, though they can cause damage to the skin and open it to infection. 

This means that you should pursue treatment for BCC as soon as possible. Mohs surgery is one of the most common procedures.

A doctor will remove the tumor they see on your skin and then inject ink into your surrounding cells. The ink will let them see if there are any cancer cells remaining in your body. They can remove these cells and then sew your skin up so you can heal.

So What Is Basal Cell Carcinoma?

Many people have questions about cancer. What is basal cell carcinoma? It is a type of cancer that affects your epidermis, and exposure to radiation causes it.

Can basal cell carcinoma kill you? It can, though complications like bleeding and scarring are more common. 

How can basal cell carcinoma be treated? You first need to detect tumors, which will make your skin shiny and red. You can then have Mohs surgery so your cancer cells are extracted. 

Cancer is becoming more commonplace and complicated. Read guides to cancer by following our coverage.