What is skin cancer?

Are you familiar with the precursors and the most common types of skin cancer? Learn about symptoms, treatments, and what you need to pay special attention to here.

Actinic keratosis

Also known as Solar keratosis.

Actinic keratosis is a precursor to skin cancer.

Symptoms:

  • Often extensive UV-induced superficial dysplasia.
  • Often found on sun-exposed areas of elderly persons, especially on the face, scalp, chest, and arms.
  • Increased risk in persons with fair skin and prolonged UV exposure.
  • Red, scaly, and sometimes thickened lesions.

Treatments:

  • Cryosurgery
  • Curettage
  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
  • Topical treatment

Case: 75-year-old golfer

The patient has red, scaly, itching lesions on the scalp.

The patient has no history of skin cancer.

Suggested treatment:

Photodynamic therapy or topical treatment due to dissiminated sun damage of the skin.

Basal cell carcinoma

Also known as Rodent ulcer and basalioma.

Basal cell carcinoma is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common cancer, with more than 15,000 new annual cases in Denmark.

Symptoms:

  • Slow-growing locally invasive tumor.
  • Often localized in the head and neck area and upper body of UV-exposed people with fair skin.
  • Shiny/pearly smooth nodule with central ulceration and rolled edges or irregular slight scaly plaque with micro-erosions.

Treatments:

  • Mohs micrographic surgery
  • Conventional surgery
  • Superficial radiotherapy
  • Photodynamic therapy
  • Cryosurgery
  • Topical treatment
  • Electrochemotherapy

Be cautious about these warning signs:

1. Non-healing ulcers.

2. Long-lasting red scaly patches.

3. Long-lasting nodules with raised boarders.

Squamous cell carcinoma

Also known as: Planocellulært karcinom and spinocellulært karcinom

Squamous cell carcinoma is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer with approximately 3.000 new annual cases in Denmark. This cancer is characterized by a fast-growing invasive tumor with a low risk of metastasizing.

Symptoms:

  • Localized to sun-exposed areas in older individuals with sun-damaged skin, especially around the scalp and face.
  • Increased risk in patients with fair skin type, suppressed immune system, and prolonged UV exposure.
  • Tender, warty ulcerated or hyperkeratotic nodules.

Treatment:

  • Excision
  • Superficial radiotherapy

Case: 77-year-old women with multiple actinic keratoses

The patient has fair skin and a long history of sun tanning.

The patient has had multiple previous cases of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Suggested treatment is surgery.

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