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Basal cell carcinoma is the most common cancer in humans worldwide. In the United States, it accounts for more than 75 percent of all skin cancers. The majority of basal cell carcinomas are easily and successfully treated with current therapies.
The skin is formed of three layers. The deepest, the subcutaneous layer, is composed of fat and connective tissue and connects the skin to the underlying muscle. Above that is the dermis, the layer that contains sweat glands, oil glands, and other structures of the skin. The third layer, on the surface, is called the epidermis; it is there that most skin cancers arise.
Basal cell carcinomas arise in the lowest layer of the epidermis, the basal cell layer.
Basal cell carcinomas are most often found on the face, neck, hands, or other parts of the body that have been exposed to the sun. This type of cancer can have many different appearances: a red patch or irritated area; a small, pink pearly bump; a white or yellow scar-like area; a smooth growth with a dent in the center; or an open sore that bleeds or oozes. Basal cell carcinomas rarely spread throughout the body and deaths from them are very rare; however, because they often occur on the face, their locally destructive effects can result in serious cosmetic deformity if not diagnosed and treated early.
