Can keratoacanthoma be cancerous?

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a low-grade, or slow-growing, skin cancer tumor that looks like a tiny dome or crater. KA is benign despite its similarities to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), or the abnormal growth of cancerous cells on the skin’s most outer layer.

Is keratoacanthoma serious?

Many scientists consider keratoacanthoma to be a less serious form of squamous cell carcinoma. Most keratoacanthoma cause only minimal skin destruction, but a few behave more aggressively and can spread to lymph nodes.

Is keratoacanthoma the same as squamous cell carcinoma?

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a relatively common low-grade tumor that originates in the pilosebaceous glands and closely resembles squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In fact, strong arguments support classifying keratoacanthoma as a variant of invasive SCC.

Is keratoacanthoma a premalignant lesion?

The most common precancerous skin lesions are actinic keratoses, Bowen’s disease, and keratoacanthoma.

How long does a keratoacanthoma take to heal?

The neoplastic nature of the keratoacanthoma then appears to have become dormant. It will not change its shape or size for nearly 6-8 weeks. Then, over the next few months, the abnormal growth will begin to regress. The skin lesion takes about 2-12 months to heal completely.

Does keratoacanthoma grow quickly?

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a low-grade, rapidly growing, 1 to 2 cm dome-shaped skin tumor with a centralized keratinous plug. Over the past hundred years, this tumor has been reclassified and reported differently throughout literature.

How do you get keratoacanthoma?

Doctors don’t know what causes keratoacanthoma, but some things make you more likely to get it:

Sun exposure.
HPV infection.
Some cancer-causing chemicals.
Your genes.
A weak immune system.

How is keratoacanthoma diagnosed?

Lesions are evaluated with a careful history and physical examination. A biopsy may be performed to evaluate with a histological exam. The best diagnostic test is an excisional biopsy as a shave biopsy may be insufficient to examine the depth to differentiate keratoacanthoma from squamous cell carcinoma.