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Skin Cancer Squamous Cell Carcinoma Appearance

SCCs arising from actinic keratoses may have a thick, adherent scale. The tumor is soft and freely movable and may have a red, inflamed base. These lesions are most frequently observed on the bald scalp, forehead and backs of the hands. Cutaneous horns may begin as actinic keratoses and degenerate into SCC.

SCCs originating on the lip or from apparently normal skin are aggressive and metastasize to the regional lymph nodes and beyond.

Those SCCs beginning in actinically damaged skin, but not from actinic keratoses, appear as firm, movable, elevated masses with a sharply defined border and little surface scale.

The potential for SCCs to metastasize is related to the size, location, degree of differentiation, histologic evidence of perineural involvement, immunologic status and depth of invasion. SCCs that arise in actinically damaged skin were previously thought to have a minimal potential for metastasis; however, such lesions may be aggressive. SCC first metastasizes to regional lymph nodes in the majority of cases.