Keratoacanthoma

Keratoacanthoma






Keratoacanthoma can be defined as low grade malignant skin growth which rarely grows into cancerous cells. This disease is less common and it occurs on 1 person in 1000 on average. However this disease serves as the indication for autosomal faMilial cancer syndrome. Often it is seen only on fair complexioned people and men are more prone to get this problem than women.

Keratoacanthoma proceeds slowly in the form of skin growth which appears as small lesions or lumps. It can be considered as less famous type of cell cancer and it causes nominal injury to the skin. Only in rare cases it spreads deeply into the lymph nodes.

Symptoms :

Small tiny lesions are seen on the back of hands, face, ears, and lower legs and even on scalp. It is a slow process and it may take 4-6 weeks for the lesions to develop on the skin.

It starts as small dome shaped lesions that have a groove in the center. The size of the bumps may vary from 1-3 cm in diameter. After some weeks, the lesions shrink leaving behind a scar on the skin.

It will be itchy but mostly it would not cause any pain. It may be either single spreading evenly on the skin or form as cluster on the same place.

Causes :

Exposure to sunlight is the main cause for getting keratoacanthoma. Certain chemicals and allergens can also trigger formation of red lesions. Injury or trauma can be the reason for getting KC. It starts on single hair follicle on the skin and slowly spreads to other follicles damaging more and more skin. This disease resembles very much like Squamous Cell Carcinoma or symptoms of Muir Torre syndrome.

Who are at risk?

Those who are working in environment that has lot of pitch and tar molecules may get keratoacanthoma cancer. Exposure to sunlight can aggravate this disease. It can be caused due to genetic factor and those who are predisposed to this disease from their parents.

Diagnoses :

It is difficult to diagnose Keratoacanthoma since many times it is confused with SCC or basal cell carcinoma. Since it looks very much like Skin Cancer, your doctor will have to confirm the disease by doing biopsy of the skin.

Treatment :

Surgery is the main option for treating keratoacanthoma. Other treatments are provided only if surgical option is not possible like in the case of multiple bumps. In that case, retinoid like isotretinoin is given instead of surgery for treating multiple lesions. In some cases, steroids are useful for treating patients without surgical option.

Surgery :

The tumor or lesions or bumps is surgically removed from the body. Tumors of medium length like 3-6 mm can be surgically excised. Before proceeding with surgery, the doctor will examine the biopsy result for confirming that lesions are not squamous cell carcinoma and only keratoacanthoma. Small sized lesions are treated using curettage or applying liquid nitrogen which would freeze it to wither off from the body. For treating large sized lesions, Moh’s surgical therapy is administered to remove lesions located in face and hands.

Radiation therapy is given for lesions since they are effective in getting rid of lesions. Large sized tumors and tumors appearing in cosmetic areas like face or neck are treated by this method. But radiation always has side effects. Managing the tumor with radiation is done only for patients who have difficulty with surgical process.

In case of tiny tumors, cryo-therapy and laser treatment is the best option.

Pictures of Keratoacanthoma :

Images, Pics, Pictures and Photos of Keratoacanthoma

Drugs :

Antineoplastics are useful for treating multiple tumors appearing on the body in important cosmetic regions like face and even on lower legs for women. The drugs are given for a month, followed by surgical removal of the tumors.

Medications prescribed for tumors are methotrexate like Trexall, fluorouracil like Adrucil and Bleomycin. Retinoid that are frequently used for KC are Isotretinoin like Claravis and Amnesteem along with other form of therapy like laser or radiation treatment.

Topical ointments that contain imiquimod is the right choice for treating Keratoacanthoma tumors.
The mode of treatment depends on the intensity of tumor and several factors like age, sex and health condition of the patient. Not one treatment method is effective and hence combined therapy is given.

It is not sure that keratoacanthoma tumor is completely destroyed after surgery. You need to follow the instructions of your doctor who will monitor the skin closely for any further growth. Further you need to stay away from sunlight to escape from further damage.

Keratoacanthoma – Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Keratoacanthoma – Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

What is Keratoacanthoma?

Keratoacanthoma or KA is a skin growth that is reasonably common and is swiftly growing. It typically appears as a dome-like lump on skin which is sun-exposed on light-skinned elderly as well as middle-aged individuals. It is frequently found at sites of prior trauma or injury. Many researchers believe that keratoacanthomas is the less severe type of “Squamous Cell Carcinoma”. Most keratoacanthoma cause only nominal injury to the skin but some do act more antagonistically and can spread to lymphatic nodes. It is not associated with internal malignancy except in instances which are very rare and where multiple keratoacanthomas are linked with a disease process known as Muir-Torre syndrome.

Keratoacanthoma Symptoms

The more likely positions for keratoacanthoma consist of:

• Backs of hands


• Face in the center


• Ears


• Forearms


• Especially in women, lower legs


• Scalp

A keratoacanthoma becomes visible and develops quickly over the course of 2 to 6 weeks. Beginning as a pimple-like, small lesion, a keratoacanthomas normally grows into a dome-shaped, skin-colored bump with a Depression in the center that is packed with keratin (which is the main protein in skin, nails as well as hair). Keratoacanthomas normally vary in size from 1 to 2.5 cm. They normally shrink in 6 months and that pushes out the plug in the center, leaving behind a depressed scar.

In some rare cases, numerous keratoacanthomas can increase as part of a larger collection of symptoms.

The majority of keratoacanthomas cause no pain, although there are several which are very itchy. Depending on the site of concern keratoacanthoma can impede the normal purpose of the area which is affected.

Keratoacanthoma Causes

With keratoacanthomas, past exposure to the sun seems to be the major contributing factor. They seem to arise from a single hair follicle since they are only seen on hair-bearing skin and not on the palms. Various chemicals can also cause KAs.
Some sort of minor injury seems to be needed to trigger a keratoacanthomas to start growing but this is either not remembered by the individual or not apparent. The cells begin multiplying in the hair follicle and the mass grows into a keratoacanthomas.

You're reading Keratoacanthoma – Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment posted by minhhai2d, the information is for reference only.

There are some keratoacanthomas which appear to be linked to an infection with human papilloma virus that causes warts.

Left untreated, a true keratoacanthoma will continue to grow for several months, reach a maximum size and then begin to self-destruct over the next several months. Unfortunately a keratoacanthoma often looks like a true Skin Cancer, a squamous cell carcinoma or rarely a basal cell carcinoma; therefore it should be seen by the primary care physician.

Keratoacanthoma Treatment

If your primary care physician believes that the lesion is a keratoacanthoma, he/she will initially want to begin with the accurate diagnosis by completing a biopsy. This course of action involves:

Numbing the skin with anesthetic which is injectable

Sampling a tiny section of skin using a bendable razor blade, scalpel or a “punch biopsy”. When using a “punch biopsy”, a stitch or suture or 2 may be required and it will be needed to be taken out in 1 to 2 weeks later.

Have a dermatopathologist examine the sample of skin under a microscope.

When the diagnosis of keratoacanthomas is established, the treatment options normally include:

• Freezing with nitrogen in liquid form which is known as cryosurgery, in which this cold liquid nitrogen is sprayed on the keratoacanthoma. This process freezes and destroys the lesion.


• Excision where the doctor uses a knife-like instrument to cut out the keratoacanthoma and then use stitches to bring the edges of the wound together.


• Electrodesiccation and curettage also known as “scrape and burn”. After numbing the lesion, the physician utilizes a sharp instrument to “scrape” the skin cancer cells away, trailed by an electric needle to “burn” the lesion tissue. The electrodesiccation helps to eradicate the cancer cells as well as also impede any bleeding at the site.


• Mohs micrographic surgical procedure where the physician takes tiny shavings of skin from the cancer site until it is totally removed. This method is especially useful for keratoacanthoma situated on the ears, the nose, the hands as well as the lips.


• Radiation management, for those patients who could have difficulty with a surgical process because of any health issues.

Rarely, keratoacanthoma can be treated with medicine injected directly into the skin lesion which is known as intralesional chemotherapy. Also in those patients with more than 1 keratoacanthoma, the doctor might suggest taking a pill of isotretinoin in order to reduce there number and size.

Finally, it is important to know that treatment of keratoacanthomas is not finished once the skin cancer has been removed. There will be numerous follow up appointments with a dermatologist or with a physician trained to examine the skin as it is vital to make sure that the keratoacanthoma has not returned as well as making certain that any new skin cancer has not developed anywhere else on the body. Additionally, good sun protection habits need to be developed so as to prevent further damage from UV light.

Keratoacanthoma Pictures