Skin cancer: Has anybody had fluorouracil treatment?

By the way one of the side effects is deafness if applied close to the ears the swelling squeezed my ear passage on both ears and blocks sound.

@brit2 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Thank you for sharing your detailed story. And, so glad to hear the treatment worked for you!

Has your ear canal opened back up, now? I imagine that side effect was the result of the medication causing a reaction, not the medication itself. Perhaps close proximity to mucus membranes is a factor? Did you notice any change in your breathing/nostrils?
Ginger

@gingerw Yes both are back to normal but during the treatment the left ear suffered a continuous discharge of earwax fluid which as only stopped in the last day or so.

@gingerw @hawkssr Topical 5-FU can be neurotoxic and ototoxic, for those with partial or full DPD deficiency. Most people with this deficiency are asymptomatic, so would not know without being tested.

I have history of BCC, SCC and pre-cancer sores when using the 5% dose. After the 2-weeks of cream kill the skin, I use a bandage and wound care. Healing takes a week or 2, but eventually my skin heals back to normal with minimal scarring compared to surgical removal of spots that leave scars. (12 so far and another SCC surgery soon)

Hi, I just started the cream treatment today. I have started with my bald head as a test area. I have gotten a lot of helpfull info from this thread. One thing I'm curious about but didn't notice commented about is after applying the ointment is there a point where you can wash the area so that I can wear a hat and not ge getting it coated with the cream? Also what about getting it on my pillowcase? Can I wash my second treatment of the day after a few hours so I don't get it on the pillow? Thanks, Mark

Hi , I am new to this group and dont know how to start a new post. I am going to start this on my face and wondered what others did about going to work. I work in a job where I am around a-lot of people and am not comfortable with doing this and going to work.
Thank you

@cmorcat Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! When using the cream, only a very small amount is needed, any place you apply it. In my experience, I put it on the area, a very light amount, and wait for an hour or so before going to bed, or putting a hat on, etc. This allows it to absorb.

Are you doing two applications a day? Wow! Once a day was enough for me.
Ginger

@jultan Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Like you, I have used fluorouracil on my face many times. Yes, there is a certain amount of irritation or redness that appears as the medication starts to find problem places to work on. I had to resign myself to the fact that it was working, and to be happy about that. After about a week, I will use a very light moisturizer over top of the cream, to ease some of the visible reaction. Some people will use a light makeup. And some, like my family member, simply hibernates away from people during the worst of it!

Another way to think of it is educating people who might comment. Talk to them about the importance of taking care of your skin, and watching for skin cancers. Explain you are taking a proactive approach to catch precancer situations. Let them know it's never too early to do that. Who knows? You might be really helping someone along their own skin health journey! What do you think about this?
Ginger

@gingerw I do use only a small amount and rub it in good. I wasn't aware that it would be absorbed. My concern was it rubbing off and cross-contaminating things that others might come into contact with. Thank you for the info. Mark