Clinical Presentation of Skin Cancer
Posted on October 26, 2015 in Skin Cancer
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Clinical Presentation of Skin Cancer
By SERO Staff
Clinical Presentation of Skin Cancers
While the appearance of any one skin cancer can vary, there are general physical presentations that can be used in screening. Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) most commonly have a pearly rim or can appear somewhat eczematous. They often ulcerate. Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) frequently have a thick keratin top layer. Both BCCs and SCCs are associated with a history of sun-damaged skin. Melanomas are characterized by asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, a diameter of more than 6 mm, and evolution (ABCDE criteria). Photographs representing typical clinical presentations of these cancers are shown below.
Basal cell carcinomas
Superficial basal cell carcinoma (left panel) and nodular basal cell carcinoma (right panel).
Ulcerated basal cell carcinoma (left panel) and ulcerated basal cell carcinoma with characteristic pearly rim (right panel).
Squamous cell carcinomas
Squamous cell carcinoma on the face with thick keratin top layer (left panel) and squamous cell carcinoma on the leg (right panel).
Melanomas
Melanomas with characteristic asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, and large diameter.
Images and information furnished by cancer.gov.
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