Skin conditions can be confusing, especially when your symptoms overlap. Do you have a red patch on your skin? If so, you might wonder whether it’s a sign of eczema or skin cancer. Eczema and skin cancer can sometimes present similar symptoms, leading to misdiagnoses and anxiety. 

So, how to differentiate between these two skin conditions? Let’s delve into the article to understand the difference between eczema and skin cancer and their impact

What is Eczema?

Eczema is a common inflammatory skin condition that is characterised by itchy and dry skin, blisters, scaly red patches, rashes, and skin infections. Babies, adolescents, or adults can be affected by seven different types of eczema: 

• Atopic dermatitis

• Stasis dermatitis

• Nummular eczema

• Contact dermatitis

• Seborrheic dermatitis

• Syshidrotic eczema

• Dyshidrotic eczema

Eczema lesions can often appear on multiple body parts at once but are most commonly found on the hands, face, neck, and behind the knees. This skin condition can be mild or severe and can even flare up, causing noticeable and uncomfortable symptoms. 

Can Eczema Cause Skin Cancer?

Eczema itself is not a direct cause of skin cancer. However, some eczema symptoms, especially when it’s actively flaring, can sometimes resemble the symptoms of different types of skin cancer. It can be harder for people with eczema, especially with a severe condition, to detect the early warning signs of skin cancer. So, if having eczema, it’s advisable to go for regular screenings and consult your dermatologist to determine whether or not you have skin cancer.

Eczema vs. Skin Cancer: What’s Similar?

On noticing itchy, red, or scaly lesions on your skin, you might wonder whether it’s eczema or skin cancer. You should know that different skin cancers can appear as symptoms, with some looking like eczema. So, here listed are some symptoms that can appear similarly in both eczema and skin cancer:

• Scaly red or dark red patches: Both eczema and some forms of skin cancer, like squamous cell carcinoma, can present scaly red or dark red patches on your skin.

• Persistent Skin Changes: Both skin conditions can cause persistent changes in your skin that usually don’t heal over time.

• Scaly or crusty skin lesions: It’s a possible symptom of actinic keratosis (skin cancer) that can be found in the body of an individual having eczema.

• Itchy, painful, or bleeding patches: People with eczema and skin cancer, particularly early-stage basal cell carcinoma, can potentially have itchy, painful, or bleeding patches on multiple areas of their bodies.

• Skin infections: Usually, eczema-prone skin, especially when it actively flares, might be susceptible to infections. Also, skin cancer lesions, if left untreated for a long can become infected.

Eczema vs. Skin Cancer: What’s Different?

Despite the above-discussed similarities between some of the symptoms of these two skin conditions, there are some major differences between eczema and skin cancer. Going through this section, you can explore skin cancer vs eczema:        

• Itchiness: Eczema is often extremely itchy, while skin cancer lesions are generally less itchy or may not itch at all.

• Blistering: While certain types of eczema, like dyshidrotic eczema, can cause blisters, skin cancer typically doesn’t cause any blisters unless it’s progressed severely. 

• Cause: Eczema is primarily caused by genetic factors, environmental triggers, and immune system responses. However, skin cancer is caused by abnormal growth of skin cells due to DNA damage, often from UV exposure.

• Ulceration: Skin cancer, particularly in advanced stages, can ulcerate and bleed, while eczema does not usually cause ulcerations.

• Specific lesions: Skin cancer lesions present different features like irregular borders, colour changes, and asymmetry, which may not be presented by eczema. 

• Appearance over time: Eczema lesions can change rapidly, flaring up and healing, whereas skin cancer lesions typically grow slowly and do not heal.

What Skin Cancers Can Look Like Eczema?

Due to the resemblance between the symptoms of these two skin conditions, many question whether skin cancer can look like eczema. There are some types of skin cancers that present symptoms similar to eczema, including:

• Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer that affects the basal cells in your skin’s outer layer. If diagnosed with it, your skin can appear red, brown, blue, discoloured, crusty, black, or bloody and might be itchy and painful, which can be mistaken for eczema. 

• Squamous Cell Carcinoma 

Squamous cell carcinoma affects the squamous cells in your skin’s outermost layer. What makes this skin cancer look like eczema is its scaly, red, crusty, and discoloured lesions and bumps on the skin. 

• Actinic Keratosis

Actinic keratosis, also called solar keratosis, usually appears as rough, crusty, scaly lesions on your skin that can develop due to years of sun exposure. These skin lesions often appear in the body parts that are frequently exposed to the sun, such as the neck, face, shoulders, or scalp. Now that these lesions are smaller in size, they sometimes look similar to the symptoms of nummular eczema.

• Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is a rare type of skin cancer that appears as red, scaly patches on your skin that can closely resemble eczema. Often, the skin lesions caused by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma are misdiagnosed as chronic eczema because of their similar appearance, but they typically don’t respond to typical eczema treatments.

Summing Up

Eczema is a common skin condition that can sometimes look like certain types of skin cancer due to similarities between their symptoms. But it doesn’t mean that one can cause another. Understanding the difference between eczema and skin cancer can help diagnose properly. If you notice any new suspicious bumps, patches, or lumps on your skin, then consult with a dermatologist at a super-speciality hospital as soon as possible!

FAQs

1. Can eczema turn into skin cancer?

No, eczema itself does not turn into skin cancer. However, chronic skin irritation and inflammation from eczema can sometimes increase the risk of skin damage, which might make skin cancer more likely.

2. How can I tell if a skin rash is eczema or skin cancer?

Eczema often appears as red, itchy patches, while skin cancer can present as irregular, changing moles or growths. Skin cancer lesions may be asymmetrical, have uneven borders, or bleed.

3. What should I do if I notice a new mole or growth on my skin?

If you notice any new, changing, or suspicious moles, it’s crucial to consult a dermatologist for a skin examination to rule out skin cancer or any other serious conditions.

4. Can eczema lead to scarring that looks like skin cancer?

Eczema can cause thickened skin or scars from chronic scratching, but these are typically different from the irregular growths or lesions seen in skin cancer.

5. How can I differentiate between eczema and melanoma?

Melanoma, a form of skin cancer, often presents as an unusual mole that changes shape, colour, or size, while eczema typically manifests as patches of dry, inflamed skin without the changes seen in skin cancer.

Citations

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma - Symptoms and causes. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20351056.

Hewett, L. (2022, June 6). What people with Eczema need to know about Self-Screening for Skin Cancer. National Eczema Association. https://nationaleczema.org/blog/what-people-with-eczema-need-to-know-about-self-screening-for-skin-cancer/

McDaniel, B., Badri, T., & Steele, R. B. (2024, March 13). Basal cell carcinoma. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482439/

Nemeth, V., Syed, H. A., & Evans, J. (2024, March 1). Eczema. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538209/

Pfeifer, G. P. (2020). Mechanisms of UV-induced mutations and skin cancer. Genome Instability & Disease, 1(3), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42764-020-00009-8