Squamous cell carcinoma of the Skin Treatments

In medicine, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a form of cancer of the carcinoma type that may occur in many different organs, including the skin, lips, mouth, esophagus, urinary bladder, prostate, lungs, vagina, and cervix.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the Skin

According to montclair dermatology, squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common cancer of the skin (after basal cell carcinoma and more common than melanoma). It usually occurs in areas exposed to the sun. Sunlight exposure and immunosuppression are risk factors for SCC of the skin with chronic sun exposure being the strongest environmental risk factor.

The risk of metastasis is low, but is much higher than basal cell carcinoma. Squamous cell cancers of the lip and ears have high metastatic and recurrence rate (20 to 50%). Squamous cell cancers of the skin in individuals on immunotherapy or having lymphoproliferative disorders (leukemias) are much more aggressive, regardless of their location.

Treatments

There are a number of treatments for squamous cell carcinoma of the skin utilized by montclair dermatology. Typically, these treatments involve surgical procedures. Common surgical procedures for squamous cell carcinoma are:

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Excision - is the complete removal of an organ, tissue, or tumor from a body, as opposed to a biopsy. An "excisional biopsy" (sometimes called a "tumorectomy") is the removal of a tumor with a minimum of healthy tissue. It is therefore an excision rather than a biopsy.
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Mohs Surgery - considered the treatment of choice for squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; physicians have also utilized the method for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth, throat, and neck.

Nonsurgical options for the treatment of cutaneous SCC by montclair dermatology include topical chemotherapy, topical immune response modifiers, photodynamic therapy (PDT), radiotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy. The use of topical therapy and PDT is generally limited to premalignant (ie, AKs) and in situ lesions. Radiation therapy is a primary treatment option for patients in whom surgery is not feasible and is an adjuvant therapy for those with metastatic or high-risk cutaneous SCC. At this time, systemic chemotherapy is used exclusively for patients with metastatic disease.

Imiquimod has also been used with success for squamous cell carcinoma in situ of the skin and the penis, but the morbidity and discomfort of the treatment is severe. An advantage is the cosmetic result: after treatment, the skin resembles normal skin without the usual scarring and morbidity associated with standard excision. Imiquimod is not FDA-approved for any squamous cell carcinoma.