Causes and Symptoms of Squamous cell Cancer

What do doctors call this condition?

Squamous cell carcinoma

What is this condition?

Squamous cell cancer of the skin is an invasive tumor with the potential to spread. It occurs most often in fair-skinned white men over age 60. Outdoor employment and residence in a sunny, warm climate (southwestern United States and Australia, for example) greatly increase the risk of developing squamous cell cancer.

What causes it?

Predisposing factors include overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays, the presence of premalignant lesions (such as actinic keratosis or Bowen's disease), X-ray therapy, ingestion of herbicides containing arsenic, chronic skin irritation and inflammation, exposure to local carcinogens (such as tar and oil), and hereditary diseases (such as xeroderma pigmentosum and albinism). Rarely, squamous cell cancer may develop on the site of smallpox vaccination, psoriasis, or chronic discoid lupus.

What are its symptoms?

Squamous cell cancer commonly develops on the skin of the face, the ears, the back of the hands and forearms, and other sun-damaged areas. Lesions on sun-damaged skin tend to be less invasive and less likely to spread than lesions on unexposed skin. Notable exceptions to this tendency are squamous cell lesions on the lower lip and the ears. These are almost always invasive spreading lesions with a generally poor prognosis.

Transformation from a premalignant lesion to squamous cell cancer may begin with hardening and inflammation of the preexisting lesion. When squamous cell cancer arises from normal skin, the nodule grows slowly on a firm, hard base. If untreated, this nodule eventually ulcerates and invades underlying tissues. It may spread to the regional lymph nodes, causing characteristic symptoms of pain, malaise, fatigue, weakness, and appetite loss.

How is it diagnosed?

An excisional biopsy (tissue removal and analysis) provides a definitive diagnosis of squamous cell cancer. Other appropriate lab tests depend on symptoms.

How is it treated?

The size, shape, location, and invasiveness of a squamous cell tumor and the condition of the underlying tissue determine the treatment method used. A deeply invasive tumor may require a combination of techniques.

All the major treatments have excellent rates of cure; generally, the prognosis is better with a well-differentiated lesion than with a poorly differentiated one in an unusual location. Depending on the lesion, treatment may consist of -

• Wide surgical excision

• Micrographic surgery

• Eelectrodesiccation and curettage (offer good cosmetic results for small lesions)

• Radiation therapy (generally for older or debilitated people)

• Chemosurgery (reserved for resistant or recurrent cancers).