The most frequently occurring skin cancers that I see in my clinic are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Even before the patient has sent me their diagnostic reports, I can usually tell which type of skin cancer they have. When booking the appointment, patients with a basal cell carcinoma will often say that they have ‘a skin cancer with a hole in the middle’. Alternatively, if it is a squamous cell cancer they may say ‘I have a skin cancer with crusting’ or even ‘a skin cancer with a horn’.
Basal Cell Carcinoma is the most commonly occurring type of skin cancer, accounting for approximately 80% of all cases. Squamous cell carcinoma is also a common cancer and, is more dangerous in so far as it is more likely to spread.
The treatment priorities and necessary investigations for the two cancers differ. It’s therefore important that we know exactly what we’re dealing with before we embark on a treatment course. If left untreated, over time, a basal cell carcinoma will continue to grow and as it grows, destroy the normal tissues that lie in its path. It is however, incredibly rare for basal cell carcinoma to spread to other parts of the body. Conversely, squamous cell carcinoma has a much higher likelihood of spreading to local lymph nodes or elsewhere in the body. The investigations are required before starting treatment to therefore differ between the two types. For the vast majority of patients I see, the treatment I offer aiming at curing them of their skin cancer.