Basal cell carcinoma

When you see a board-certified dermatologist, your dermatologist will:

Examine your skin carefully

Ask questions about your health, medications, and symptoms

If your dermatologist finds a spot on your skin that could be any type of skin cancer, your dermatologist will first numb the area and then remove all (or part) of it. This can be done during an office visit and is called a skin biopsy. This is a simple procedure, which a dermatologist can quickly, safely, and easily perform.

Having a skin biopsy is the only way to know for sure whether you have any type of skin cancer. After your dermatologist removes the spot, a doctor, such as your dermatologist or a dermatopathologist, will examine it under a high-powered microscope. The doctor is looking for cancer cells.

If the doctor sees cancerous basal cells, the diagnosis is BCC.

After the doctor examines the removed skin under a microscope, the doctor writes a report. Called a biopsy report or a pathology report, this document explains in medical terms what was seen under the microscope.

If the diagnosis is any type of skin cancer, the information in this report will tell your dermatologist the key facts needed to treat the cancer, including:

The type of BCC you have

How deeply the cancer has grown (when possible to tell)

Your dermatologist will carefully consider your health and the findings in the report before choosing how to treat the cancer

Basal cell carcinoma is most often treated with surgery to remove all of the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around it. Options might include: Surgical excision. In this procedure, your doctor cuts out the cancerous lesion and a surrounding margin of healthy skin.

When detected early, most basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) can be treated and cured. Prompt treatment is vital, because as the tumor grows, it becomes more dangerous and potentially disfiguring, requiring more extensive treatment. Certain rare, aggressive forms can be fatal if not treated promptly.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a small or early BCC, a number of effective treatments can usually be performed on an outpatient basis, using a local anesthetic with minimal pain. Afterwards, most wounds can heal naturally, leaving minimal scarring.

Options include:

Curettage and electrodesiccation (electrosurgery)

Mohs surgery

Excisional surgery

Radiation therapy

Photodynamic therapy

Cryosurgery

Laser surgery

Topical medications

Medications for advanced BCC