Advance basal cell carcinoma is abnormal,
uncontrolled growth or lesions which appear on the skin, they arise
from basal cells of the skin which are found on the inner most layer
epidermis. They look like open sores, pink growths, red patches or scars
which are caused due to cumulative and intense exposure to the sun.
Basal cell carcinoma generally does not spread beyond the original site
of the tumor, they mostly affect the head, face scalp, hand and the neck
areas but spread to other parts and become malignant if not diagnosed.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common
form of skin cancer which accounts for nearly 80% of all cases, if not
treated may get into the advance stage. Basal cell carcinoma which
infiltrates below the skin or vital organ is difficult to treat
surgically. It is commonly found in elderly and fair skinned
individuals. Treatment of advance basal cell carcinoma is carried out
with surgical, destructive and topical therapeutic treatments. Although
if not treated properly or neglected it may become aggressive or
recurrent basal cell carcinoma may progress to an advanced state. The
characteristics of a tumor becoming advance basal cell carcinoma may
differ. The major challenges in treating advance basal cell carcinoma
include its size, location, invasiveness and extent. It comprises of
non-melanoma skin cells as compared to other malignancies. Individuals
suffering from advance basal cell carcinoma fall under two categories,
one who have advance basal cell carcinoma due to delay in accessing
medical treatment and with whom basal cell carcinoma reoccur after
treatment.
The treatment for advance basal cell
carcinoma is quite complicated as both patients and tumor
characteristics have to be taken into consideration before starting the
treatment. Generally, more than one therapeutic methodology has to be
taken into account for the treatment. The mortality rate for basal cell
carcinoma is low as compared to other forms of malignant tumors as these
rarely become malignant, these tumors are generally curable but
sometimes due to reoccurrence it is hard to completely get rid.
There are many different ways to prevent basal cell carcinoma, such as by avoiding skin exposure to direct sunlight, this can be avoided by using high factor sunscreen to exposed skin if outdoors. Cases which are associated with high cost and recovery time the use of radiation therapy or hedgehog inhibitor therapy may be taken into consideration. In some cases where surgery may not be sufficient alternative medication is used which could be topical, oral or hedgehog inhibitors may be taken into consideration. In recent times newer and more effective therapeutics have been developed which include inhibitors which block the Hedgehog pathway which stops the reoccurrence of advance basal cell carcinoma. These new therapeutics would help in extending the lifespan of people who have metastatic advance basal cell carcinoma. Advance basal cell carcinoma are sometime difficult to treat and can become life threatening this is mainly due to reoccurrence rate and progressiveness of the disease. Therefore it requires constant monitoring. The American Cancer Society strongly recommends dermatologic checkup in every three years for individuals between 20-40 years of age and every year for individual above 40 years of age.
No comments:
Post a Comment