To prevent basal cell carcinoma (BCC; basal cell carcinoma), attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Diet
- Micronutrient deficiency (vital substances) – see Prevention with micronutrients.
- UV radiation (sun; solarium)
Environmental pollution – intoxications (poisonings).
- Occupational contact with carcinogens such as arsenic.
- UV radiation (chronic and intermittent UV exposure): recreational or occupational exposure to UV radiation (UV-A rays (315-380 nm), UV-B rays (280-315 nm); sun; solarium.
Prevention factors
- Genetic factors:
- Genetic risk reduction depending on gene polymorphisms:
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Genes: PADI6, XRCC1
- SNP: rs801114 in an intergenic region.
- Allele constellation: TT (0.78-fold).
- SNP: rs7538876 in gene PADI6
- Allele constellation: GG (0.78-fold).
- SNP: rs25487 in the gene XRCC1
- Allele constellation: AA (0.7-fold)
- Genes/SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism):
- Genetic risk reduction depending on gene polymorphisms:
- Behavioral factors
- Sun protection [S3 guideline: see below].
- Avoidance of strong sunlight (see also UV index: the UV index (UVI) is a standardized measure of sunburn-effective solar irradiance (ultraviolet radiation).); Staying indoors is better than applying sunscreen!
- In general, the UV index is considered a measure of the strongest solar radiation around midday (daily maximum).
- Wearing appropriate clothing is preferable to the use of sunscreen as individual sun protection.
- Headgear/sun hat, T-shirt (and one shirt over the other), sunglasses.
- Application of sunscreen
- Sun protection [S3 guideline: see below].
Every patient with statutory health insurance is entitled to skin cancer screening every 2 years from the age of 35. Routine skin self-examination (“skin self-examination”, SSE) is also desirable.
Secondary prevention
- Early skin cancer detection (skin cancer screening) using dermoscopy (reflected light microscopy; increases diagnostic confidence).
- Nicotinamide 500 mg twice daily → strengthening DNA repair mechanisms by preventing UV-induced ATP (adenosine triphosphate) depletion (removal of substances from the body, respectively, the increased consumption of the same).