Squamous Cell Carcinoma

How Serious Is a Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

I’d had a few skin cancers removed before, all basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), the most common type. But when I was diagnosed with a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) on my scalp, it seemed different, and a little more scary.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma - When should you worry?

SCC is the second most common form of skin cancer and, in the South, the number of people who die from SCC of the skin is about equal to the number of people who die from melanoma.

DrBaileySkinCare.com

People with a lot of cumulative sun exposure tend to get SCCs. Some people are more prone to them than others including people with fair skin. Squamous cell skin cancers often start as “pre-cancers” called actinic keratoses.

MayoClinic.org

Untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the skin can destroy nearby healthy tissue, spread to the lymph nodes or other organs, and may be fatal, although this is uncommon.

Patient.info

SCC usually presents as an indurated nodular keratinising or crusted tumour that may ulcerate, or it may present as an ulcer without evidence of keratinisation.

SkinCancer.org

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells arising in the squamous cells, which compose most of the skin’s upper layers (the epidermis). SCCs often look like scaly red patches, open sores, elevated growths with a central depression, or warts; they may crust or bleed.

SkinVision

Squamous cell carcinoma usually first appears as a red, scaly plaque of skin or as a hard domed bump. Both varieties typically feel rough and crusty and can bleed when scraped.