How is skin cancer diagnosed? September 13,2013 at 01.10 am 1.Squamous cell carcinoma is often transformed by keratosis, leukoplakia and other precancerous diseases. It grows fast and forms ulcer in early stage. Some of the ulcers manifest in the shape of nodus or cauliflower and invades relative superficial level, and its basis is movable.Some manifest in as patelliform and invades into the in-depth obviously, and has a strong devastating power, often to bones. 2.Basal cell carcinoma often has no symptoms in the first beginning, often causes stiff and plaque papule in early stage: some manifest verrucously uplift and then ulceration for ulcer lesion in irregular shape and with its margins uplifting and bottom uneven, which grows slowly; Melanoma: Neoplasm of pigment (melanin) producing cells Brown or black skin lesion with irregularities in symmetry, border and coloration Clinical Symptoms of Skin Cancer 1.Color: most skin cancers feature unevenly mixed brown, black, red, white or blue; color of nevus change; People shall be alert to this; 2.Margin: often irregular and serration-toward changing. This is usually due to tumor transferring to surrounding tissue or its own cataplasis. 3.Surface: not smooth: rough with squamous or lamellar peelings; sometimes accompanied with effusion or bleeding, and the foci can be higher than the skin surface; 4.Skin surrounded around the foci may emerge edema or lose its original skin gloss or turn to white or grey; 5.abnormal sensation: itchy, burning pain or tenderness for local parts Investigation: The doctor may take a digital photo of the spot. 1)Skin biopsy: 2)Shave biopsy For this type of biopsy, the doctor first numbs the area with a local anesthetic. The doctor then shaves off the top layers of the skin with a small surgical blade. 3)Punch biopsy: A punch biopsy removes a deeper sample of skin. Incisional and excisional biopsies: To examine a tumor that may have grown into the deeper layers of the skin, the doctor may use an incisional or excisional biopsy. 4)Fine needle aspiration biopsy: A fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is not used on suspicious moles, but it may be used to biopsy large lymph nodes near a cancer 5)Surgical (excisional) lymph node biopsy: This procedure can be used to remove an enlarged lymph node through a small skin incision. 6)Sentinel lymph node biopsy: To find the sentinel lymph node (or nodes), the doctor injects a small amount of a radioactive substance (and sometimes a blue dye) into the area of cancer 7)Lab tests of biopsy samples If the doctor can’t tell for sure if the sample contains melanoma cells just by looking at it, special tests may be done on the cells to try to confirm the diagnosis. These tests have names such as immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). 8)Imaging tests: a)X-rays: b)Computed tomography (CT) scan: The CT scan is a type of x-ray test that produces detailed, cross-sectional images of your body. Unlike a regular x-ray, CT scans can show the detail in soft tissues (such as internal organs). c)CT-guided needle biopsy: CT scans can also be used to help guide a biopsy needle into a suspicious area within the body. d)Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Like CT scans, MRI scans give detailed images of soft tissues in the body. e)Positron emission tomography (PET): For a PET scan, you receive an injection of a radioactive substance (usually a type of sugar related to glucose, known as FDG). 9)Blood tests:CBC with ESR
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 19:12:22 +0000
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