Skin cancers

Question 1

What is the medical name for warts and what is their appearance?

Answer 1

Seborrheic keratoses

Stuck on appearance with well defined border

Question 2

Describe the appearance of moles (benign melanocytes naevi)

Answer 2

Can be flat or raised,
Uniform border and pigment
Pale/reddish brown/dark

Question 3

What is the treatment for dermatofibroma?

Answer 3

None

Question 4

How does dermatofibroma appear?

Answer 4

Film nodules, reddish brown, tender on pressure

Forms a dimple when squeezed (due to tethering to underlying skin)

Question 5

Describe a lipoma

Answer 5

Asymptomatic slow growing dome shaped lump

Question 6

What is tuberous sclerosis?

Answer 6

Genetic disease causing benign tumours

Question 7

What is neurofibromatosis type 1?

Answer 7

Genetic disease causing tumours of the nervous system (can present anywhere in the body)

Question 8

How does neurofibromatosis type 1 present?

Answer 8

Cafe au lait spots

Question 9

What are the growth phases of a melanoma?

Answer 9

1. Radial

2. Vertical (becomes nodular and can metastasise)

Question 10

What is the breslow thickness?

Answer 10

The depth of melanoma from the top of the granular layer to the deepest point

Question 11

What are the survival rates at different breslow thicknesses?

Answer 11

<1mm = 95% 5yr survival
>4mm = 50% 5 yr survival
mets = 5% 5 yr survival

Question 12

Describe the difference between SCC and BCC in terms of speed of growth, appearance, sites, symptoms, prognosis

Answer 12

BCC:
-slow growth
-lump/non-healing ulcer
-painless
-sun exposed sites
-good prognosis
SCC:
-rapidly growing
-crusted lump/ulcer
-pain and can bleed
-sun exposed sites
-poor prognosis

Question 13

What are the 2 precursors to SCC?

Answer 13

Actinic keratoses, Bowens disease

Question 14

How does Bowens disease appear?

Answer 14

Red scaly patches (often on legs)