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Skin squamous cell carcinoma (recurring)
Anyone else battled on-going outbreaks of squamous cell cancers? I have had dozens on my legs in the last two years. One required a swim graft. Three were MOHS procedures. A dozen were excisions with sutures. The rest were small and frozen. I just had an aggressive one removed the had quickly extended all the way to muscle. Who did you see? Are there other treatment options besides continued surgeries? I have at least six more that have popped up in the last week. It feels as though this will never end!
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As you age, the sun damage from years ago, start rearing their ugly self. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill or vaccine available (that I’m aware of) to prevent them from cropping up. My dermatologist has prescribed a form of vitamin B3called Niacinamide that studies have found help to delay and help reduce the risk of skin cancer.
You will find this also in some of the skin serums on the market. I take 1 tablet twice daily. Does it help??? Hard for me to answer that as my sun damaged skin is extensive. I get frozen, scrapping, Effudex and Mohs surgery more times than I care to admit.
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3 Reactions@annabach and @jpeters6930: thank you for bringing this up. My dermatologist has never mentioned the use of niacinamide (Vit B3) but upon research there does appear to be some compelling evidence for its use according to NIH, Memorial Sloane Kettering and Harvard Medical School from those I consulted. These found a reduction in BCCs and SCCs (basal and squamous cell carcinomas), lesser degree of impact on actinic keratosis (scaly, rough patches that can be pre-cancerous) but no significant impact on melanoma.
As with all medications, prescribed and over the counter, best practice is to discuss with your medical practitioner. I know I'm going to bring it up with my dermatologist when I see her in two weeks!
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5 ReactionsIt seems that it’s relatively new. The studies have been very positive and I am starting to hear more and more about it. I have a very diligent, young Dermatologist. Even some of the actinic keratosis she finds she will biopsy. You can’t be too careful. who is always. I wish you the best. Every little bit helps.
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5 ReactionsI can only tell you my experience has been positive. I can’t see any harm in including the supplement in your daily regimen. I know you need to be patient to observe results, as in months not just weeks. But my last invasive SCC was over one year ago now. I wish you the best!
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2 ReactionsHave you tried Efudex cream?
Anytime my dermatologist sees something in ?? she will either freeze it or have me use this chemo cream:
“Fluorouracil cream (Efudex) for skin conditions
Fluorouracil 5 cream, commonly known by its brand name Efudex, is a topical chemotherapy medication used to treat specific skin conditions”.
If it’s actinic keratosis or superficial BCC or SCC this is another type of treatment.
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1 ReactionI have been battling squamous cell carcinoma for years. It started out with a dermatologist and advance to MOS surgery. A year ago my MOS surgeon discovered a mass of cancer the size of a racquetball on my head. She removed it. I was then handed over to a plastic surgeon to close the wound. It left me with some disfiguring on my head but not as bad as it could have been. This one got my attention. I was not sure how many of those I could endure. How did it get that big? How do I prevent reoccurrence? No answers.
I went through 20 radiation treatments to the wound area and lymph node to prevent it from spreading. I now am receiving immune therapy with Libtayo. I am 4 treatments into a 12 treatment regime. Once every 3 weeks. I broke out into a rash all over my legs, arms, back and chest. It was very itchy. I have been using Triamcinolone cream which has helped.we got this. Hang in guys.
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6 ReactionsWe have had almost identical issues. I've had scc mohs on most of my face and chest over the years but a big
one on my forehead that I didn't get to quick enough caused lots of trouble. Had it removed and a month of radiation so it wouldn't reoccur. Then another big one over my ear which developed quickly required surgery to remove. Another month of radiation on that area and soon after began Libtayo. I've been on it since June 2024.
I tolerate it completely and have PET scans every 3 months plus Signatera tumor monitoring to see if its spreading. So far I've not had other scc's erupt but it has shown on the PET that its in my neck lymph node.
I had interventional radiology last year that was a shot of glycol injected direct to the bad node and it killed
all cancer cells. Latest PET showed another hot lymph node so had the same thing done a month ago. I'll have a PET in March to see if it also was effective. Good luck with your treatments...
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