Squamous cell cancer is painful and growing fast!

@dorycheeto: I'm thinking what they may have meant was the individual lesion hadn't spread but there's potential there could be other lesions elsewhere at some point point in the future, as there is always the possibility of additional skin carcinomas appearing. That's one of the reasons frequent skin checks are so important, especially as as we age.

Does that make sense?

Perhaps you’re right.

I got a little sick reading your story...I had the same on my hairline 2 years ago and stubbornly put off the mohs. I'd had many scc's over the years and mohs but this one was different. quarter sized, white puffy raised skin. My dermo called me 3 x and begged me to get it done. I went to Mayo in Jacksonville and was in the chair for 7 hours digging and digging! Finally no margins but dr. said I should have radiation to reduce chance of coming back. Guess it scared me so I did have radiation on that site, 20 treatments. But months later another started over my ear, this time a lump under skin, not a breakout. Also SCC and it required head and neck surgeon to remove plus another 20 rounds of radiation on that site. After that was done I agreed to start Libtayo immunotherapy which I've now been doing for a year and will do for another year. I did have some cancer migrate to a lymph node and it was treated with an injection of ethanol which killed all the cancer cells in that node. I'll probably be doing scans for a long time to make sure this is under control. I'm now 76 and in otherwise great health.

@louisejewell That is quite the history. And once again, shows that we can each have so many types of treatment and presentation of squamous cell skin cancer.
Ginger

I just joined your group…I just had 10 biopsies and they all came back as squamous cell carcinoma. 10 years ago I had merkel cell carcinoma and had head & neck radiation at Dana Farber. Anyone every have 10 biopsies come ack this way?

@vtlaney Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! While we wait for others to respond, are you willing to share more about your squamous cell carcinoma sites? What did your medical team decide to do as a procedure?
Ginger

6 Mohs…i am sending report to my Dr at Dana Farber and will do one on my hand here as it is quite painful and wait till I get back home for the rest . I am at the dermatologist now waiting for him to look at my leg where i had a biopsie and when I removed the bandage it took my skin with it.

@vtlaney

Last November I had two biopsies taken from my forehead. Both areas came back as squamous cell carcinoma.
I was informed that the biopsy areas removed the cancerous cells.
I haven't had any pain in those areas but they took a long time to heal.
In August of 2023 I was told I had Merkel (Stage 3) in my left side of my face and underwent surgery, immunotherapy and twenty five radiation treatments.
The Merkel returned in the same area in November 2024 and in 2025 serious external cancer areas were treated with chemo. In November 2025 a PET scan showed me to be cancer free!

@rogermcintire Wow…u have had your share…but we both have survived Merkel Cell and u twice …wishing you good health from now on