Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)

A Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is an invasive form of skin cancer that accounts for 30% of all non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia. It can be diverse in its appearance, ranging from a lesion that is flat, red and scaly to a nodule that can bleed and crust over. SCC can sometimes appear as a non healing sore or a lesion that is painful to touch. Although they can be found anywhere on the body, they tend to favour the head, neck, forearms, hands and legs. Once one appears, it will generally grow quite quickly, evolving over weeks to months. There are many factors that increase a person’s risk of developing SCC including chronic sun exposure, a history of previous skin cancer, older age, fair skin, radiation therapy or chemical exposure, certain genetic syndromes and immunosuppression (organ transplant, blood cancer, medication). A diagnosis of SCC is made on biopsy, but further investigations may be undertaken if your dermatologist is concerned this cancer may have spread to other parts of the body.

Treatment options depend on the subtype, the site and other patient factors but may include curette and cautery (C&C), wide local excision (WLE), Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and in some cases radiation treatment (this may be combined with surgery where the cancer involves a nerve). Whilst SCC is an invasive skin cancer, if detected and treated early, the prognosis is generally good