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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Although squamous cell carcinomas usually develop on sun-exposed skin, they can occur anywhere on your body, including inside your mouth and anus, and on the genitals in both men and women. The appearance of the tumors can vary, but the most common forms include:
- A firm, red nodule on your face, lower lip, ears, neck, hands or arms
- A flat lesion with a scaly crust on your face, ears, neck, hands or arms
- A new ulceration or raised area on a pre-existing scar or ulcer
- An ulcer or flat, white patch inside your mouth
- A red, raised patch or ulcerated sore in the anus or on your genitals
Squamous cell carcinomas are usually slow growing and can be difficult to spot, especially when they appear on skin that has other signs of sun damage, such as changes in pigmentation, loss of elasticity and wrinkling. They can also be mistaken for actinic keratoses — rough, scaly, dark brown or pink patches that appear after years of sun exposure. A small number of actinic keratoses eventually develop into squamous cell carcinomas.
When to see a doctor
Squamous cell carcinomas may be difficult to distinguish from normal skin, especially in the early stages. Yet the sooner they're diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome. See your dermatologist if you have a sore or scab that doesn't heal in about two weeks or a flat patch of scaly skin that won't go away.
- Wood GS, et al. Nonmelanoma skin cancers: Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119479231-3/0/1709/83.html?tocnode=55017273&fromURL=83.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06694-8..50078-6--cesec29_2759. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Squamous cell carcinoma. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/SquamousCellCarcinoma.htm. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. National Cancer Institute. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Skin cancer prevention. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/skin/Patient/page2. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Detailed guide: Skin cancer - basal and squamous cell. American Cancer Society. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Ferri F. Squamous cell carcinoma. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119479231-4/801716560/1417/447.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04836-1..50007-1--cesec44_620. Accessed Feb. 9, 2009.
- Urist MM, et al. Melanoma and cutaneous malignancies. In: Townsend CM, et al. Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119479231-5/0/1565/1.html?tocnode=54736195&fromURL=1.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..X5001-1--TOP_1. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Sunscreen. The Skin Cancer Foundation. http://www.skincancer.org/the-scfs-guide-to-sunscreens.html. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Arsenic toxicity exposure pathways. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/arsenic/exposure_pathways.html. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Ridky TW. Nonmelanoma skin cancer. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2007;57:484.
- Neoplasia. In: Kumar V, et al. Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119515236-4/801835407/1249/66.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-0187-1..50011-0--cesec92_600. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Premalignant and malignant nonmelanoma skin tumors. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/119515236-5/0/1195/157.html?tocnode=51442435&fromURL=157.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50023-6_2588. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Common questions about diet and cancer. American Cancer Society. Accessed Feb. 6, 2009.
- Food Groups to Encourage. In: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 6th Edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office; 2005. http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter5.htm. Accessed Feb 6, 2009.
