What other types of Skin Cancer are there?
Other types of skin cancer include:
- Basal Cell Skin Cancer – also called basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
- Squamous Cell Skin Cancer – also called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
These are known as non-melanoma skin cancer.
Picture: (NHS Inform, 2022)
Basal Cell Skin Cancer may look/appear as:
- an area on the skin that is smooth and pearly-white
- an area on the skin that appears waxy
- a firm, red lump or may look sunken in the middle
- a pearly brown or black lump if you have darker skin
- a flat, red spot that is scaly and crusty
- a pale non-healing scar.
They may also:
- start to heal but never completely
- feel itchy and may occasionally bleed
- become scabby or crusty on top
- develop into a painless ulcer
Squamous Cell Skin Cancer may look/appear as:
- an area on the skin that looks scaly
- an area on the skin that has a hard, crusty scab (that is not from a known wound)
- an area on the skin that looks pink or red
- an area of raised skin
- an area that feels tender to touch
- an area that may bleed sometimes
Cancer Research UK recommends visiting your doctor for advice if you have a sore or area of skin that:
- doesn’t heal within 4 weeks
- looks unusual
- hurts, is itchy, bleeds, crusts or scabs for more than 4 weeks
Treatment Options
Treatment for your non-melanoma skin cancer will be discussed with your consultant and may depend on:
- Where your skin cancer is
- How big it is
- Your general health
Treatment options may include:
- Surgery
- Radiotherapy
- Cryotherapy
- Immunotherapy (may be a cream)
- Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
- Chemotherapy (may be a cream)