What should you know about invasive squamous cell carcinoma?

Squamous cell carcinoma begins in keratin-making cells of the outer skin. When it is invasive, abnormal cells have grown below the surface and may extend into nearby tissue. A biopsy confirms the diagnosis, while the report describes the tumour and whether the sampled edges contain cancer cells. The lesion’s site, size, depth, borders, and other features affect treatment decisions.

Most skin lesions are not squamous cell carcinoma, and a suspicious growth cannot be diagnosed from appearance alone. An enlarging, crusted, tender, or bleeding lesion should be examined rather than self-treated.

Surgical excision removes the tumour with a surrounding margin and sends it for laboratory examination. Mohs surgery removes the growth in stages while checking each layer, which can be useful when tissue preservation or careful margin control matters. Other skin-cancer surgery approaches may be selected according to location and risk.

Keep the biopsy or surgical wound clean according to the instructions you receive, and protect healing skin from strong sun exposure. Attend the planned review so the clinician can check the scar, discuss the final pathology, and look for additional suspicious lesions.

Book a dermatology assessment for a sore, crust, wart-like growth, or thickened patch that persists, enlarges, bleeds, or becomes painful. Seek faster review for a lesion near the eye, nose, ear, lip, fingers, or genitals, or for numbness and weakness around it. After treatment, contact the clinic for spreading redness, pus, uncontrolled bleeding, or fever.

Ask: How deep is the carcinoma? Are the margins clear? Which operation suits its location? Is Mohs surgery appropriate? What wound care is needed, and how will my skin be checked afterward?