What are the early symptoms of skin cancer?

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers. It can occur anywhere on the body. About 80% occur on the face, head and neck, causing deformity and danger to the affected area.

Here are some early signs of skin cancer:

1. Early skin cancer often manifests as erythematous or papular lesions slightly above the skin surface, often accompanied by scaly desquamation or crust formation on the surface, and the symptoms are similar to benign skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, and inflammation. As the lesion further develops, some characteristic signs will appear, such as a shiny, translucent papular nodule with bleeding on the surface and telangiectasia, or a scar-like smooth fibrous plaque without obvious telangiectasia, ulcers, and protrusions. Or there are black, fused dots in the lesion.

2. Squamous cell carcinoma is often transformed from keratosis, leukoplakia and other precancerous diseases. It grows fast and forms ulcers in the early stage. Some are nodular or cauliflower-shaped, with less invasion into the deep part and a movable base; some are butterfly-shaped, with more obvious infiltration into the deep part, great destructiveness, and often involving bones. Squamous cell carcinoma is often accompanied by purulent infection, accompanied by malodor and pain. Regional lymph node metastasis is common. The author encountered a huge squamous cell carcinoma in the head, which had an extremely bad odor, more purulent secretions, and was prone to bleeding; when cervical lymph node metastasis occurred, the site of the disease was the junction of the mucosa and skin. Squamous cell carcinoma developed fastest, and patients with mucosal disease were more likely to metastasize.

3. Basal cell carcinoma is often asymptomatic at the onset. In the early stage, it is mostly plaque-like papules with hard bases, and some are wart-like protrusions, which then break down into ulcers. They are irregular, with raised edges, like craters, and uneven bottoms, and grow slowly. Metastasis is rare, and the ulcers are shallowly ulcerated with translucent nodules on the edges, which then gradually expand and can erode surrounding tissues and organs, becoming erosive ulcers.

The above characteristics of skin cancer are very similar to the symptoms of certain precancerous lesions such as solar keratosis and keratoacanthoma, and it is difficult to distinguish them. Solar keratosis has rough erythema that is higher than the skin surface, and the surface is covered with scales. After removing the scales, the erythema often has no obvious protrusion. This is very similar to the erythema-like papules with clear boundaries and slightly higher than the skin surface of squamous cell carcinoma in situ, but the scales and crusts of the latter are more obvious, and the lesions are more substantial. Keratoacanthoma often occurs in exposed areas to sunlight. Without any warning signs, smooth red nodules will quickly appear within 2 to 3 weeks. There is a keratin embolus in the center, and dilated capillaries can be seen at the edge of the nodule. The nodules of squamous cell carcinoma that is distinguished from it are not smooth, and the edges of the nodules are translucent.

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should see a doctor immediately without delay. If treated early, malignant melanoma can often be cured; if left untreated, the cancer cells will spread to other parts of the body and may invade various vital organs.

The above is some knowledge about the early symptoms of skin cancer that we have prepared for you today. We hope it can be helpful to you. If you have any other needs, you can also consult our online consulting experts. We are always available to answer your questions and give you more detailed guidance.

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