There is a very common type of cancer that affects 80% of Americans. It is the most common form of cancer in the US and the least malignant. This cancer is known as Basal cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma also known as (BCC) is a type of skin cancer that effects the basal cells that line the epidermis. Basal cells duplicate and increase to the point where they penetrate the dermis (top layer of the skin). What causes the basal cells to react this way is usually being exposed to excessive sunlight and/or ultraviolet rays as well as having or had many severe sunburns, overexposure to x-rays, and having relatives who had skin cancer.
Basal cell carcinoma is a noticeable lesion that can lay flat or rise from the skin. The tumor, according to …show more content…
One way is a procedure called curettage and electrodessication. Curettage and electrodessication is when a tumor is scraped off with a sharp instrument then burned with an electrocautery needle. This process is repeated a couple more times to make sure that the cancer cells are removed. Another method would also be laser surgery. This practice uses lasers to eliminate and destroy lesions that lay on the epidermis. A common type of procedure that has been around since the1930s is called Mohs surgery. “It accomplishes the nifty trick of sparing the greatest amount of healthy tissue while also most completely expunging cancer cells; cure rates for BCC and SCC are an unparalleled 98 percent or higher with Mohs, significantly better than the rates for standard excision or any other accepted method” (Skin Cancer Foundation). A new treatment has actually been announced in 2012. “This new treatment for BCC is a drug known as Erivedge. The drug is able to shrink the lesions of advanced tumors around 43%” (Qtd. Forefront). According to Mayo clinic cancer center’s online magazine, Forefront (2012) states that, "Erivedge is able to shrink a tumor by targeting and shutting down a molecular signaling pathway that fuels the cancer cell growth.” Erivedge helps to stop basal cells from multiplying which causes the skin to create the tumors from appearing on the skin. It is an innovating new oral treatment
Basal cell carcinoma is a noticeable lesion that can lay flat or rise from the skin. The tumor, according to …show more content…
One way is a procedure called curettage and electrodessication. Curettage and electrodessication is when a tumor is scraped off with a sharp instrument then burned with an electrocautery needle. This process is repeated a couple more times to make sure that the cancer cells are removed. Another method would also be laser surgery. This practice uses lasers to eliminate and destroy lesions that lay on the epidermis. A common type of procedure that has been around since the1930s is called Mohs surgery. “It accomplishes the nifty trick of sparing the greatest amount of healthy tissue while also most completely expunging cancer cells; cure rates for BCC and SCC are an unparalleled 98 percent or higher with Mohs, significantly better than the rates for standard excision or any other accepted method” (Skin Cancer Foundation). A new treatment has actually been announced in 2012. “This new treatment for BCC is a drug known as Erivedge. The drug is able to shrink the lesions of advanced tumors around 43%” (Qtd. Forefront). According to Mayo clinic cancer center’s online magazine, Forefront (2012) states that, "Erivedge is able to shrink a tumor by targeting and shutting down a molecular signaling pathway that fuels the cancer cell growth.” Erivedge helps to stop basal cells from multiplying which causes the skin to create the tumors from appearing on the skin. It is an innovating new oral treatment