Diagnosis
Tests and procedures used to diagnose nonmelanoma skin cancer skin include:
- Physical exam. A member of your healthcare team asks about your health history and looks at your skin for signs of nonmelanoma skin cancer.
- Removing a sample of tissue for testing, called a biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. A member of your healthcare team uses a tool to cut away, shave off, or punch out some or all of the area of skin that looks out of the ordinary. The sample is tested in a lab to see if it is cancer and, if so, what type it is.
If a biopsy shows nonmelanoma skin cancer, other tests also may be needed to check if cancer has spread beyond the skin.
Treatment
Treatment for nonmelanoma skin cancer depends on the size, type and location of the cancer. How deep the cancer has grown into the skin also makes a difference. Small nonmelanoma skin cancers on the surface of the skin may not require treatment beyond a skin biopsy that removes the entire growth.
If other treatment is needed, options may include:
- Surgery. Surgery often can remove nonmelanoma skin cancer. In some situations, an area of healthy tissue around the cancer also may need to be removed.
- Freezing. Some small, early-stage nonmelanoma skin cancers can be destroyed by freezing them with liquid nitrogen. This is called cryosurgery.
- Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful energy beams. Radiation therapy may be an option when cancer can't be completely removed during surgery.
- Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treats cancer with strong medicines. For cancers limited to the top layer of skin, creams or lotions containing anti-cancer medicine may be put on the skin. Chemotherapy that goes to the whole body can be used to treat skin cancers that have spread beyond the skin.
- Photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a two-stage treatment that combines light energy with a medicine called a photosensitizer. The photosensitizer kills cancerous and precancerous cells when activated by light, usually from a laser.
- Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system to kill cancer cells.
Preparing for your appointment
If you have any skin changes that worry you, start by making an appointment with a healthcare professional. If your healthcare professional suspects that you may have nonmelanoma skin cancer, you may be referred to a specialist. Often this is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions, called a dermatologist.
Because appointments can be brief, it's a good idea to be prepared. The following information can help you get ready for an appointment.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you have, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medicines, vitamins or supplements that you're taking.
- Consider taking along a family member or friend. Sometimes it can be hard to remember all the information you get during an appointment. Someone who goes with you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your healthcare professional.
Questions for your doctor
Below are some basic questions to ask your healthcare professional about nonmelanoma skin cancer. If you think of other questions during your appointment, be sure to ask those questions too.
- Do I have nonmelanoma skin cancer? What kind?
- How is this type of skin cancer different from other types?
- Has my cancer spread?
- What treatment do you recommend?
- What are the possible side effects of treatment?
- Will I have a scar after treatment?
- Am I at risk of this condition coming back after treatment?
- Am I at risk of other types of skin cancer?
- How often will I need follow-up visits after I finish treatment?
- Are my family members at risk of skin cancer?
- Are there brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?
What to expect from your doctor
Be ready to answer some basic questions, such as:
- When did you first notice this skin change?
- Has it grown or changed much since you found it?
- Is the skin change painful? Does it cause other discomfort?
- Do you have any other skin growths or sores that worry you?
- Have you had skin cancer before?
- How much were you in the sun as a child?
- Have you ever used tanning beds?
- How much are you in the sun now?
- What do you do to stay safe in the sun?
- Have you ever taken medicines that suppress your immune system?
- Do you or did you smoke? How much?