Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffTests and procedures used to diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma include:
- Physical exam. Your doctor will ask questions about your health history and examine your skin to look for signs of squamous cell carcinoma.
- Removing a sample of tissue for testing. To confirm a squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis, your doctor will use a tool to cut away some or all of the suspicious skin lesion (biopsy). What type of skin biopsy you undergo depends on your particular situation. The tissue is sent to a laboratory for examination.
References
- Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, U.K.; New York, N.Y.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..X0001-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed Feb. 12, 2013.
- Goldsmith LA, et al., eds. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 8th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=740. Accessed Feb. 12, 2013.
- Skin cancer treatment (PDQ). National Cancer Institute. http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/skin/Patient. Accessed Feb. 12, 2013.
- Skin cancer prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/prevention.htm. Accessed Feb. 19, 2013.
- Gibson LE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 21, 2013.
Find Mayo Clinic on