Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) most affects older individuals, especially males with fair skin, blond/red hair, and a history of significant sun exposure or sunburns, alongside those with weakened immune systems (transplant recipients, HIV/AIDS) or chronic skin inflammation, with outdoor workers and those using tanning beds being particularly at risk. The risk increases with age, but cases in younger people are rising, often linked to HPV, smoking, or chemical exposure.
It's more common in people with lighter skin. In these people, it most often appears on parts of the body exposed to the sun. In people with darker skin, it appears more often on skin that isn't exposed to the sun and in areas where there are scars or ongoing skin problems. Skin cancer is usually treated with surgery.
It also helps protect the skin from damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation. People with Black or brown skin have more melanin than people with white skin. The risk of squamous cell carcinoma is highest in people who have blond or red hair, have light-colored eyes and freckle or sunburn easily.
Most basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are caused by repeated and unprotected skin exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight, as well as from man-made sources such as tanning beds. UV rays can damage the DNA inside skin cells and cause changes in genes.
People over the age of 50 are most likely to get SCCs, but the incidence has been rising in people younger than 50.
Signs and symptoms of squamous cell skin cancer
They can also develop in scars or skin sores elsewhere. These cancers can appear as: Rough or scaly red (or darker) patches, which might crust or bleed. Raised growths or lumps, sometimes with a lower area in the center.
Diane Keaton was open about her struggles with skin cancer, having been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma at 21 and later battling squamous cell carcinoma, which required surgeries.
Taken together, these results suggest that regulatory/suppressor T cells play an important role in chronic stress-induced immunosuppression, and increased susceptibility to squamous cell carcinoma.
Squamous cell carcinoma rarely metastasizes (spreads to other areas of the body), and when spreading does occur, it typically happens slowly. Indeed, most squamous cell carcinoma cases are diagnosed before the cancer has progressed beyond the upper layer of skin.
Preventing squamous cell carcinoma
Reduce your risk of this cancer type by following proper precautions: Avoid peak sun exposure: During peak sun hours (10 am to 4 pm), find shade and wear protective clothing like wide-brimmed hats, long sleeves, and UV-blocking sunglasses.
The most common symptoms of a squamous cell carcinoma include: Skin patches that are flat, reddish and scaly. Firm, red bumps. Wart-like growths that ooze or crust.
High-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) is associated with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), which is rising.
Squamous cells are found in the outer layer of skin and in the mucous membranes, which are the moist tissues that line body cavities such as the airways and intestines. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) develops in the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat.
How to Tell If Squamous Cell Carcinoma Has Spread
Treatment overview
In July 2021, the FDA expanded this approval to include SCC that is locally advanced and not curable by radiation or surgery. In 2024, the FDA approved cosibelimab-ipdl (UnloxcytTM) for adults with locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma that is not curable with surgery or radiation.
About 2 out of 10 skin cancers are squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs, also called squamous cell skin cancers, cutaneous squamous cell cancers, or just squamous cell cancers). These cancers start in the flat cells in the upper (outer) part of the epidermis.
Treatment should happen as soon as possible after diagnosis, since more advanced SCCs of the skin are more difficult to treat and can become dangerous, spreading to local lymph nodes, distant tissues and organs.
Summary. Surgical excision remains the gold standard for the management of cutaneous squamous cell cancers (SCC) and national guidelines for operative radial margins predict 95% oncological clearance with a margin of 4 mm for low-risk and 6 mm for high-risk tumours.
Squamous cell carcinomas appear as red scaly patches, scaly bumps, or open sores. Left alone, they become larger and destroy tissue on the skin. They can also spread to other areas of the body.
The majority of squamous cell carcinomas are caused by sun exposure.
Learn more about the symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma and what you can do to keep yourself safe. Fatigue, usually described as feeling tired, weak or exhausted, affects most people during cancer treatment.
In general, the squamous cell carcinoma survival rate is very high—when detected early, the five-year survival rate is 99 percent. Even if squamous cell carcinoma has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the cancer may be effectively treated through a combination of surgery and radiation treatment.
Key Takeaways. Reality TV star Khloé Kardashian shared her experience with melanoma after discovering a small bump on her face that turned out to be cancerous.
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a skin malignancy typically treated with surgical resection. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a group of lymphoid tissue malignancies treated with various strategies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Squamous cell carcinoma – also called squamous cell cancer – is one of the most common types of skin cancer, accounting for approximately 20 percent of all skin cancer cases. One of the three primary types of cells that make up the skin (epidermis), squamous cells are flat.