Vermont senator and former U.S. presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is now back working in his office after successfully undergoing a minor skin surgery earlier this week.
According to Sander's office, the senator received surgery on Thursday, Dec. 15, to remove a small basal cell carcinoma (BCC) from his cheek.
BCC is a common and slow-growing form of skin cancer. While the condition only has a very low metastatic risk compared to other forms of cancer and can easily be cured, it can cause significant disfigurement on sufferers if it gets to invade other tissues.
The senator's staff said Sanders underwent the hour-long procedure on Thursday and was able to return to work soon afterward. He later went back to his home state of Vermont.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is considered to be the most common form of cancer in the United States, affecting more than 4 million people each year. SkinCancer.org says a vast majority of skin cancers diagnosed in the country turn out to be BCC.
BCC begins as abnormal, uncontrolled lesions on the skin's basal cells. This type of cell is responsible for producing new skin cells whenever old ones start dying off. BCC often develops as open sores, shiny bumps, red patches, or even scars on the skin. About two-thirds of cases involve body areas that are commonly exposed to the sun such as the head and neck.
Meanwhile, the remaining one-third of cases involves BCCs on body parts that are not exposed to sunlight. This suggests that the disease can manifest itself through a genetic factor.
Basal cell carcinoma rarely spreads to other parts of the body beyond the original site of the tumor. However, there have been cases where the cancer cells invade other areas and become life-threatening.
Doctors strongly advise people who have BCC to not take the condition lightly since it can lead to severe disfigurement if it is not treated immediately.
BCC Treatment And Prevention
To confirm a basal cell carcinoma diagnosis, doctors typically conduct a biopsy on affected body parts. Skin tissue samples are taken and then sent to a laboratory to be examined under a microscope.
Once a BCC diagnosis is confirmed, doctors will then advise the patient about several ways of treatment.
Curettage and electrodesiccation involves having the affected layer is scrapped off using a sharp instrument and then the remaining tumor site burned using an electrocautery needle. This procedure is conducted mostly on small lesions only and has a 95 percent recovery rate.
Excisional surgery, on the other hand, sees the entire BCC growth removed along with the surrounding area of normal skin. The surgical site is then closed through stitching. This has a 95 percent recovery and is done on most body parts.
Other potential treatment options include radiation, where the affected area is destroyed using X-ray beams; and cryosurgery, where the BCC is killed off freezing the damaged tumor tissue.
Skin care experts recommend taking safety precautions to prevent the development basal cell carcinoma such as avoiding too much sun exposure and using broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher when stepping outside on a hot day.
