What are the Different Treatments for Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

In order to treat squamous cell carcinoma, a doctor should first determine the type and location of the cancer. The cancer’s severity and the patient’s health should also be assessed. Depending on these factors, different treatments can be administered. Some of the different treatments for squamous cell carcinoma are radiation, topical chemotherapy, cutterage and electrodessication, and simple surgery, as well as cryosurgery and Moh’s surgery. The side effects of each of these treatments can vary.

Cryosurgery, one of the many treatments for squamous cell carcinoma, uses liquid nitrogen to freeze cancerous cells. After the nitrogen has frozen the area, it is allowed to thaw, and the dead cells fall off. The patient may experience discomfort as the area thaws, but otherwise, the procedure is said to be painless. This form of treatment is often used when the cancer is small or when actinic keratosis, a forerunner to skin cancer, is present.

Another of the treatments for squamous cell carcinoma, topical chemotherapy, can also be used to treat precancerous cells. In addition, it can be used to treat cancer that exists in the skin’s top layer. With topical chemotherapy, a doctor prescribes an anti-cancer cream that the patient can administer at home. The patient will most likely experience inflammation while using the medicine. The cream should be administered to the area for the amount of time the doctor prescribes, usually some weeks.

For full-on cancer, surgical treatments for squamous cell carcinoma can be used. Moh’s surgery, for instance, can be used when the cancer has recurred, is aggressive, or has spread. It can also be used when a doctor cannot determine how big or how deep the cancer goes. Using this method, a surgeon scrapes off the cancer one layer at a time. Each layer is then examined under a microscope to make sure all the cancer cells have been removed.

Curettage and electrodessication is one of the treatments for squamous cell carcinoma that uses a spoon shaped tool called a curette to remove the cancer. Essentially, the doctor scoops out the cancer cells with the tool. The area is usually first numbed with anesthetic so the patient will not feel pain during the procedure. After the cancer is removed, an electric current is used to burn the area. Not only does this burning help manage bleeding, but it also seeks to destroy any remaining cancer cells.

A doctor can also use radiation as one of the treatments for squamous cell carcinoma. In this method, radiation is used to damage the cancer cells and prevent them from dividing. Some of the method’s drawbacks may include rash and a change in skin appearance. A doctor may also use a simple surgery to cut out the cancerous area. At times, a doctor may use radiation after a surgery to help ensure the cancer is completely gone.