What is a keratoacanthoma?
Keratoacanthoma is a dome-shaped lump or tumor that grows on your skin. Once you spot it, it's important to talk to your doctor. It sometimes happens to people before they get squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer. If you catch the problem early, treatment usually works well.
Is keratoacanthoma serious?
It's a non-melanoma skin cancer that rarely metastasizes, meaning it won't spread to other areas of the body. But it can still be dangerous and should be treated by a doctor. Many people with one KA lesion may develop more throughout their lifetime. But several rare conditions can cause multiple KAs to appear at once.
Is keratoacanthoma benign or malignant?
Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a self-limiting benign epithelial neoplasm. It occurs predominantly on sun-exposed areas of the body and is believed to arise from hair follicle. It shows a unique behavior in being clinically benign and microscopically malignant.
Can keratoacanthoma become malignant?
Keratoacanthoma is generally considered to be a benign cutaneous lesion with initial rapid growth and spontaneous involution over several months. It is not generally appreciated that the keratoacanthoma may have a malignant potential or be associated with carcinoma.
Are keratoacanthoma painful?
While the lesions are on the skin, they may cause itching and mild discomfort for the individual. Sometimes the abnormal growth may be painful to touch.
Should keratoacanthoma be removed?
It's not unusual for a single keratoacanthoma to shrink and disappear on its own after several months. But it may leave a worse scar than one from surgery. It could also come back, so it's best to get it removed. If you don't treat it, keratoacanthoma can spread throughout your body.
How fast does keratoacanthoma grow?
Keratoacanthoma is characterized by rapid growth over a few weeks to months, followed by spontaneous resolution over 4-6 months in most cases. Keratoacanthoma may progress rarely to invasive or metastatic carcinoma.
How quickly should a keratoacanthoma be removed?
Treatments Your Physician May Prescribe
If left untreated, most keratoacanthoma spontaneously disappear (resolve) within 6 months, leaving a depressed scar. However, they may cause significant damage to the skin and underlying layers of tissue as well as psychological distress.
What is the cause of keratoacanthoma?
What causes a keratoacanthoma? The precise cause of KA is not known. However, sun-exposure, smoking, older age, skin injury, a suppressed immune system, and more recently certain drug treatments for melanoma (BRAF inhibitors) have been shown to increase the likelihood of developing KA.
How can you tell the difference between squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma?
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and keratoacanthoma (KA) are skin neoplasms of epithelial origin. In contrast to clearly malignant skin neoplasm SCC, KA is an unusual cutaneous neoplasm with a tendency to regression. The distinction between these two neoplasms, on histological grounds only, is still a challenge.
Can keratoacanthoma bleed?
A keratoacanthoma may resolve by itself over a few weeks or months, but because it cannot be reliably distinguished from a more aggressive skin cancer it should be excised. Invasive SCC: A persistent patch of scaly skin, a keratotic horn, a wart-like growth or open sore that may ulcerate or bleed, and will not heal.
What is the treatment of choice for Keratoacanthoma?
The primary therapy for keratoacanthoma is surgical excision of the tumor. Excise tumors with adequate margins (3-5 mm) and histopathologic evaluation to exclude invasive SCC. Partial shave biopsy usually inadequately distinguishes between keratoacanthoma and invasive SCC.
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