Hi,
 I would greatly appreciate if somebody could answer a few questions about
 Basal Cell Carcinoma.

1. How dangerous is it ? Can it be cured ?  
2. Does this spread to other areas ? Is it invasive ?
3. Does it come back after removal through plastic surgery ?
4. Can it happen on the {*filter*} ? The person in question has never sunbathed,
   is Asian and has never been X-rayed.  
5. Does the presence of this skin cancer imply that the person is            
   likely to develop any other type of cancer later in life?

If you have any information/answers or know of an online site where I could
get further information please post it on the network or directly to me.
Thank you very much.

Vijay

Ph:512-602-6306

Currently I am doing skin cancer research at Dartmouth Medical School.

I will attempt to answer your questions.

A "BCC" is a malignant skin cancer.  While the world malignant is used,
they can be easily treated with surgical excision.  As far as dangerous?
If it has not grown widely and is an isolated spot, it can be removed
easily and is removed daily by thousands of Dermatologist nation wide.
Approximately 2,000 deaths/year can be attributed to BCC(and maybe this
includes SCC also)Of probably hundreds of thousands of cancer removal. The
chance of death is only great if the tunor is huge and has grown
considerably in a dangerous region of the body.

It can happen anywhere on the skin and even in the mouth. It does not
necessarily occur in sun exposed areas and is frequently found on the
{*filter*}ia.

It is possible for a reoccurance to occur after surgical excision.
Hopefully the physician will send the removed cancer to a pathologist and
have them check the margins for evidence of tumor. This wil hopefully show
weather all of the tumor has been excised or if anything remains.
Typically they are isolated foci of malignancy, yet they can occur in
multiplicity throughout the body.

The presence of this does not imply that a person would get more severe
skin cancer etc. however the person should be extra careful about self
examination and for yearly full body exams at a dermatologist.  

Wear sunblock!!!

Good Luck

Matt

  Since I have had and have been treated for 4 bcc, I feel qualified to take
a stab at answering your questions:
 l.How dangerous?Locally destructive, but doesn't metatasize,slow-growing
  in general 2.Invasive,but seldom spreads3.From chronic skin exposure-
only melanoma might arise from area once sunburned or an area not
usually exposed to sun.4.BCCs are removed by simple excision, scraping,
Mohs surgery(cutting,then looking at tissue to make sure no malignancy
is left,then cutting more if necessary.5.Having BCCs might only mean
that you might be more vulnerable to other skin cancers but not to
any other cancer. I'm not a physcian. I'm only sharing my experiences
and information I've gained from these experiences. Hope I was some help.

I have a strong preference for replying to posts with e-mail to sender
rather than using net resources for a broader posting; however, having
done this for the original basal cell carcinoma quetion, I still see
postings that leave out a significant point...

In most cases the primary treatment of basal cell carcinomas of the
skin is surgery.  However, in some cases where the surgical outcome
would be disfiguring (e.g., nose, ear, eyelid, etc) radiation treatments
are equally effective and can provide a superior cosmetic result.

These treatments should be administered by a qualified radiation
oncologist on a well calibrated treatment machine.  There are a few
outdated machines remaining in dermatology offices which are not
appropriate for this purpose.

                                 Rick