Download Basal Cell Carcinoma - Yeovil District Hospital

Protection from sunshine means:
 Stay in the shade between 11am – 3pm.
The sun is most dangerous in the
middle of the day - find shade under
umbrellas, trees, canopies or indoors
 Make sure you never burn. Sunburn
can double your risk of skin cancer
 Always cover up. Sunscreen is not
enough — wear a t-shirt, a wide brimmed
hat and wraparound sunglasses
Patient Information
 Remember to take extra care with
children. Young skin is delicate, keep
babies out of the sun around midday
 Use factor 15+ sunscreen. Apply
sunscreen generously 15–30 minutes
before you go outside and reapply often
Also report mole changes or unusual
skin growths promptly to your doctor.
If you have any questions please do not
hesitate to ask a member of the nursing
or medical staff, or call the Dermatology/Skin Cancer Specialist Nurse:
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Mihaela Savu
Tel: 01935 384906
Mobile: 07990 776684
or email: [email protected]
Plastics Secretary
Tel: 01935 384887
Dermatology Secretary
Tel: 01935 384871
Dermatology
& Plastic Surgery
wwww.yeovilhospital.nhs.uk
Leaflet No: 41002013
08/2013 Review Date: 08/2015
We hope this leaflet will help you
understand a little more about this
condition. If you have any further
questions, please do not hesitate
to ask the nursing or medical staff.
They will be happy to help you.
Common treatments include:
What do I do now?
 Surgery under local anaesthetic
What is a Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)?
 Treatment creams
The mark left by your treatment will
soon settle and you will be left with a
scar. You should keep an eye on this scar
to look for signs of the problem returning.
If you get new scabbing or a shiny bump ask
your GP for their opinion and they
can send you back to the Dermatology
Department for a further examination.
You have been diagnosed as having
a Basal Cell Carcinoma, or BCC. This is
sometimes called a Rodent Ulcer.
Basal Cell Carcinoma is the most common
form of skin cancer.
It grows very slowly, mainly on the
face and neck, with a raised pearly edge.
This condition changes very slowly and
is generally thought not to spread to other
parts of the body.
 Treatment with a cold spray of
liquid nitrogen (Cryosurgery)
 Radiotherapy
Risks and Complications
If a specific treatment has been offered,
then please read the information leaflet relevant to that treatment. The doctor will discuss any risks or complications
associated with this treatment with you. If
you have any questions please feel free to
ask.
You may get more BCCs and it is important
that you keep an eye on the rest of your skin
for signs of new ones. If you notice a new
mark that does not go away after a few
months, ask your GP for their opinion. This is
especially important for marks that bleed, itch
or are getting bigger.
Is the condition likely to return ?
Self assessment is very important because
patients are not routinely followed up in the
Dermatology Department following treatment
of their BCC. This is because the treatment
for BCC is very effective and the likelihood of
it returning is extremely small.
If it is left untreated, the BCC will continue
to grow. As the BCC becomes larger it will
bleed very often and start to destroy
surrounding structures, even down to the
underlying bone.
95% of patients need no further
treatment but occasionally the condition
returns. If the condition returns it would be
as a scab or small shiny bump in the scar
from the original lesion.
A BCC can spread into a surrounding
nerve and destroy it. But this is very rare.
Will I get further problems ?
How can I prevent getting more BCCs ?
What kind of treatment can I expect?
The type of treatment depends on the
place on the body that is affected, the
size of the affected area, and how you
feel about the options that the doctor will
discuss with you.
People who have had one BCC could get
others. This is not because BCCs spread,
but because some people have the type
of skin prone to this problem and they may
have been exposed to more than
the average amount of sunshine.
Protecting yourself from strong sunshine will
help prevent your skin from ageing
and should reduce the chances of you
developing more wrinkles, brown marks,
Actinic keratoses and BCCs.