Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)

All dermatologic handbooks adequately describe this entity.  BCC must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any persistent, bleeding, crusted papule on the head, neck, and other sun exposed areas (figure 15).  While these carcinomas are slow growing and hardly ever metastasize, they are relentlessly destructive if inadequately treated.

Urgent referral involving medevac from a deployment is not needed in the majority of cases.  The passage of several weeks will not usually change the patient's prognosis or type of therapy.  However, you still need to approach these lesions carefully.  Not all basal cell carcinomas are the same.  Treatment may vary with histologic subtype, anatomic location, and other aspects of the clinical situation.  Communicate with your consultant dermatologist.

Written and revised by CAPT Dennis A. Vidmar, MC, USN, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, and Department of Dermatology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (1999).

Additional images provided by CAPT Vidmar in June, 2000, subsequent to the initial publication of this manual.

 


Basal Cell Carcinoma

Preface  ·  Administrative Section  ·  Clinical Section

The General Medical Officer Manual , NAVMEDPUB 5134, January 1, 2000
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, 2300 E Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20372-5300

This web version of The General Medical Officer Manual, NAVMEDPUB 5134 is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy version, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense. All material in this version is unclassified. This formatting © 2006 Medical Education Division, Brookside Associates, Ltd. All rights reserved.

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