Amit Manjunath

Anatomy Presentation Notes

Interesting Intro
• Name: Bowen’s Disease; Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Second most common form of skin cancer
• Accounts for 20% of cutaneous malignancies (skin cancers other than
melanoma)
• Roughly 600,000 new cases every year
• Founded by Dr. John T. Bowen
• Risks:
• Age (above 50)
• Gender (male)
• Skin tone and hair color (light)
• Geography (closer to equator)
• Family history
• Exposure to UV rays
• Causes:
• Occurs when cell death doesn’t occur as it should
• The process is controlled by DNA (this means the DNA is damaged)
• The cells grow out of control without the dead cells shedding at the same
rate
• Signs/Symptoms:
• A growing bump
• May have a rough, scaly surface and flat reddish patches
• Usually located on the face, ears, neck, hands, or arms (rare cases include
other areas of the body)
• A sore that does not heal
• Any change in an existing wart or mole
• An ulcer or flat, white patch inside your mouth
• A red, raised patch or ulcerated sore in the anus or on your genitals
• Treatment:
• Has a high cure rate (if treated early)
• Excision: cuts out the tumor and stitches the skin back on
• Curettage and Electrodesiccation: scrapes away the cancer and uses
electricity to kill remaining cancer cells.
• Moh’s surgery: cuts layer by layer of cancer while looking at it under a
microscope (usually used for nose, ears, and rest of face)
• Cryosurgery: freezes and kills cancer cells
• Radiation (only when surgery is not an option; cancer has spread to other
organs)
• Medicated Skin Cream (only if cancer is very superficial)
• Prevention (always better than cure):
• Reduce exposure to the sun
• Wear hats, long sleeves shirts, pants, and long skirts
• Use sun screen (30 SPF for UVA UVB)
• Avoid sum lamps, tanning beds, and tanning salons
• Remember that skin burns faster at higher altitudes
• Go to a dermatologist if you have pain, inflammation, bleeding, or itching
• Diagnosis/Prognosis:
• It appears as a pinkish-red, fleshy growth
• It often exhibits scaly patches as well
• If a cancer is suspected, the doctor will send a small tissue sample of the
growth to a dermatopathologist
• If it is in the sinuses, or somewhere within the skull, an MRI or CT scan will
be performed
• The cancer has a 95% cure rate, but is usually recurring
• If the growth spreads to the lymph nodes or organs of the body, the results
can be fatal
• Pathology:
• For about 25 % of men above 50, those with Squamous Cell Carcinoma will
develop a second cancer within 5 years
• The cancer can develop from even apparently normal looking epithelium (in
other words, its hard to detect)