Basal and squamous cell carcinomas. What every primary care physician should know
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 1, 2026

Cell Population Analyses During Skin Carcinogenesis
Published on: August 21, 2013
1State University of New York at Stony Brook, Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, USA.
Abstract:
Skin cancer screening should be a part of every routine physical examination, and suspicious lesions should be biopsied. Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are highly curable with early diagnosis and treatment. Patient education about protection from the sun is an important part of treatment. Patients with a history of basal or squamous cell carcinoma are at increased risk for new skin cancers as well as recurrences, and lifelong, regular, total cutaneous examinations are essential to detect potentially curable skin carcinomas and melanomas. The frequency of follow-up depends on the number and types of previous skin cancers, as well as other risk factors, but as a rule, examinations should be performed at least yearly. Such a surveillance strategy should decrease morbidity and mortality among patients with these dangerous neoplasms.
Related Concept Videos
Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Classification of Epithelial Tissues: Overview
Based on the number of cell layers,...
Classification of Epithelial Tissues: Stratified Epithelium
What is Cancer?
Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of patients who died from...
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell