Squamous and Basal Cell Carcinoma Causes
If you are one of the 330,000 or so residents of sunny Riverside, California, then you surely love all the bright, warm days that define this Southern California city. But unfortunately it’s that very same sunshine that will see some 80,000 to 85,000 Riverside residents dealing with non-melanoma skin cancer at some point, because about one in four people get skin cancer, and the main cause of skin cancer is sun damage.
Even a few bad sunburns in youth can greatly increase the chance of non-melanoma skin cancer later in life, and just a bit too much UV light exposure without proper sunblock or clothing covering can also lead to skin cancer forming even if you avoid bad sun burns. Your genes may make you a bit more or less predisposed to getting skin cancer, but more than any other factor, it’s exposing skin to UV light that causes the cell damage that allows cancerous carcinomas to form.
How Serious Is Basal Cell Carcinoma?
Left untreated, any cancer can spread and become deadly; caught early on and treated by one of Riverside’s skin cancer specialists, your basal cell carcinoma prognosis will be an all but assured 100% survival rate. This most common form of skin cancer (and with squamous cell carcinoma together, these non-melanoma skin cancers are the most common form of cancer in the United States overall) is quite treatable, and many Riverside skin cancer specialists treat basal cell carcinoma skin cancer with noninvasive interventions.
Is Squamous Cell Carcinoma More Dangerous Than Basal Cell Carcinoma?
Yes, when it comes to squamous cell carcinoma vs. basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell is the more dangerous of the two non-melanoma skin cancers, but this is because it spreads more rapidly, not because it is not treatable and with the same high cure rate. If you have identified either type of skin cancer (or think you have) you and your Riverside skin cancer care team need to make a plan for treatment as soon as possible, because catching and treating skin cancer fast means you are dealing with an issue that’s only skin deep, not one that can potentially work down into muscle, bone, and organs if tumors grow.
For some perspective, non-melanoma skin cancers account for about 95% of all skin cancer, yet for less than 25% of skin cancer-related mortality; basal and squamous cell skin cancer are serious, but can be treated fully if you act swiftly.
Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancer Pictures
Looking at photos of skin cancer can be a useful part of the first step toward skin cancer treatment, which is self diagnosis. And if you think you do spot what might be a carcinoma on your skin, by all means take a picture skin cancer specialists in Riverside can later use to compare against to see how the skin cancer is changing, and how rapidly so.
But keep in mind that not all skin cancer images are going to actually help you identify whether or not you yourself have squamous or basal cell carcinoma skin cancer, because these cancers present themselves in a number of different ways. Your non-melanoma skin cancer symptoms may include waxen, flaky patches of skin unexplained sores, raised shiny bumps, irregular moles, or other presentations. If you see something that seems out of the ordinary on your skin, assume it is indeed not ordinary and not OK and get to a Riverside CA skin cancer doctor right away.
Best Noninvasive Skin Cancer Treatment In Riverside, CA
There are many different treatment options for skin cancer, from cryosurgery to topical medication to Mohs surgery. Riverside noninvasive skin cancer specialists often turn to a different type of treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer these days, though, and it’s a treatment that is truly noninvasive, no cutting involved and in fact no need even for pain management in most cases: Superficial Radio Therapy. Also known as SRT and performed with devices like there FDA-cleared SRT-100 from Senus Healthcare, SRT can eradicate cancerous growths on the skin with the application of concentrated low-dose radiation that does not pose a risk to healthy tissue nearby and won’t lead to long-term health complications, either.
SRT is an outpatient procedure that can be performed in a doctor’s office setting, not in a hospital. With just a few treatment sessions grouped close together, SRT for noninvasive skin cancer treatment in Riverside, CA boasts a compelling 98% cure rate on the first round of treatments.