Anon - Thanks for your question. Actinic keratosis is a common pre-cancer and affects about 10 million people in the U.S. alone. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, actinic keratosis can be the first step leading to squamous cell carcinoma and is therefore known as a “precancer.” Although the vast majority of actinic keratoses remain benign, some studies report that up to ten percent may advance to squamous cell carcinoma. This percentage does not sound very large, but it has a large impact. When it comes to squamous cell carcinomas, 40-60 percent begin as untreated actinic keratoses and may advance to invade the surrounding tissues. About 2 to 10 percent of these squamous cell carcinomas spread to the internal organs and are life-threatening.
As a fellow breast cancer survivor, I suggest learning more about this condition and the multiple treatment options available so you can make the most informed decision possible. The following links provide information that will help you. It's good that you've found this early, and I wish you the best possible outcome.
Pat
Skin Cancer Foundation:
http://www.skincancer.org/actinic-keratosis-and-other-precancers.html
Mayo Clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/actinic-keratosis/DS00568
Medicine Net:
http://www.medicinenet.com/actinic_keratosis/article.htm
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Anon - Thanks for your question. Actinic keratosis is a common pre-cancer and affects about 10 million people in the U.S. alone. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, actinic keratosis can be the first step leading to squamous cell carcinoma and is therefore known as a “precancer.” Although the vast majority of actinic keratoses remain benign, some studies report that up to ten percent may advance to squamous cell carcinoma. This percentage does not sound very large, but it has a large impact. When it comes to squamous cell carcinomas, 40-60 percent begin as untreated actinic keratoses and may advance to invade the surrounding tissues. About 2 to 10 percent of these squamous cell carcinomas spread to the internal organs and are life-threatening.
As a fellow breast cancer survivor, I suggest learning more about this condition and the multiple treatment options available so you can make the most informed decision possible. The following links provide information that will help you. It's good that you've found this early, and I wish you the best possible outcome.
Pat
Skin Cancer Foundation:
http://www.skincancer.org/actinic-keratosis-and-other-precancers.html
Mayo Clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/actinic-keratosis/DS00568
Medicine Net:
December 16, 2010 - 3:20pmhttp://www.medicinenet.com/actinic_keratosis/article.htm
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