NPR: Squamous Cell SKin Cancer

monchichi

My doctor thinks I have this on my chin and I'm FREAKING OUT.  It started about 6 years ago when I was told (by a doctor) that it was a small wart.  Now it's changed and it'll be biopsied tomorrow.  Um, squamous cancer can spread and it's been there 6 YEARS!

Does anyone know anything about this to help calm my fears? 

beanzer

This past November, my mom was diagnosed with it on the inside of her bottom eyelid. ?(Very rare) ?She had the bottom of her eyelid removed then reconstructed from the top of her other eyelid. (it had not spread to her eye). ?She did not have to have chemo or radiation and to be honest, unless you knew about her surgery you cannot tell. ?Do not let google scare you, yes it can spread, but think positive thoughts!
Good luck.

AZ_Erica

Well I don't know anything in particular about squamous skin cancer, but i have had melanoma removed.  It was a mole.  The mole had been there as long as I can remember.  It changed one day and I went in and it had become cancerous, it wasn't always cancerous. Good luck.  Hopefully they will get your results quick so you don't have to worry.

mommynow

Try not to freak out until you know what it is - I know easier said than done!  I had a spot of the basal cell carcinoma removed from my cheek last year and I was totally freaking out beforehand too.  From what I've heard, squamous cell is very treatable.  GL!

true_norskie

I don't know much about it.  But I do know it is hard not to get yourself really worked up, I've had several moles removed and a few have come back pre-cancerous.  Waiting for the results is really hard.

They don't know until it is biopsied, so try not to get too nervous yet.  I've had some where they thought they'd come back okay and didn't and some they thought would come back abnormal that didn't.

Good luck with everything.

NWIbride

My husband just had a basal cell removed from his mid-back. My mom has had a bunch removed from her face. She found a good dermatologist that did a great job getting all of it removed, with minimal, extremely minimal scarring! Basal and sqamous are the better skin cancers to have, if there is such a thing. Melanoma is the scary one from what I hear. Very high healing rate!