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Common skin malignancies

2 min read

Table of contents

  • Skin Tumors
  1. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) i. Basal cell carcinoma ii. Squamous cell carcinoma
  2. Melanoma

  • Diagnosis of Skin Cancer

    • Skin Cancer

  • Treatment of Skin Cancer

    • Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer
    • Treatment of Melanoma

Skin Tumors

Dr Sami Fathi MBBS, MSc, MD, PhD

  • Arises from any part of the skin
  • Skin cancer may involve the:-
    1. epidermis
    2. dermis
    3. neural crest
    4. epidermal appendages
    5. nerves
    6. blood vessels
    7. any specialized cellular elements

Origin of Common Skin Cancers

The three most common types of skin cancer really arise from within the epidermis

  1. Squamous cell carcinoma within the spinous layer

  2. Basal cell carcinoma within the basal layer of the epidermis and hair follicles

  3. Melanoma from the melanocytes of the epidermis.

Incidence

  • Skin cancer comprises one third of all cancers diagnosed
  • Approximately 800,000 new NMSC annually in the US
  • Approximately 36,000 new Melanoma annually in the US

Epidemiology

  • More common in:
    1. fair skinned individuals
    2. outdoor workers or those with significant UV exposure
    3. certain genetic syndromes i. Albinism ii. Xeroderma Pigmentosa

Death Rates

  1. Basal cell carcinoma

    • very rare, only with tumors > 10cm with rodent ulcers

  2. Squamous cell carcinoma

    • approximately 2100 annually in US

  3. Melanoma

    • approximately 7300 annually in US

Diagnosis of Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer

  1. Biopsy

    i. Shave or punch (NMSC) * Need only enough tissue to get representative sample ii. Excisional biopsy(Melanoma)

    iii. Physical exam including lymph nodes if melanoma suspected

Treatment of Skin Cancer

Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

  1. Excision with 4-5mm margins (“gold standard”) -cure rate 90-95%

  2. Cryosurgery -application of liquid nitrogen

  3. Electrodesiccation and curettage -combination of mechanical curettage and electrodesiccation

  4. Mohs Micrographic Surgery -specialized technique for removing high risk NMSC

Treatment of Melanoma

  1. Excision
    • margin: based on thickness of tumor
  2. Chemotherapy for extensive tumors

Graph View

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