Skin squamous cell carcinoma (recurring)

I recently had a squamous cell, along with 2 basal cells, found on my right calf. And then a month later had a squamous cell on my left calf, Both squamous cells were removed by surgery. I have had a mixture of around 12, squamous cells and basal cell spots found on my body over the years, I am now 55 years old.

Hello, my husband recently was told that a spot that was removed on his face is squamous cell carcinoma. His doctor said that she wants to treat it with a medicine that's a lotion that he will need to use once the lesion scabs up and comes off.

We're definitely scared about this finding and are wondering why she would not just remove the SCC altogether. Is it normal to just try and treat it with a lotion medicine? We're concerned that maybe it's an insurance issue and that they are just putting off doing a procedure. Also, she said to use the lotion and that she will not be able to see him until February.

We're thinking she didn't want him to go to another doctor and is using the lotion as a "bandaid" until she can see him in February.

Should we get another opinion or is this normal since it's the first time he's been diagnosed with this.

FYI, his mother said that she's had a few of these and they had all been removed by her doctor. His father and grandfather also had these in the past, so maybe genetic?

Thank you!

I get my dermatology care from Mayo Clinic since 2006. Every time I have a biopsy and comes back skin cancer I am given several options for treating it along with the success of each and the complications of each.

Thus my dermatologist is very informative and I have chosen MOHS surgery every time. MOHS surgery is not painful after pain medication injected. What it does is take skin off around the biopsy and see if all has been removed as they go beyond the biopsy area. The removed skin is then sent to pathology who examines it.

If there are any signs of cancer the surgeon comes back and remove more of the skin and pathology examines again. The process continues until all the cancer is removed. It a curative surgery.

Mayo cancer surgeons are very specialized especially the MOHS surgeons. I would definitely get a second opinion and options for treated it. I was given the lotion, freezing, and other options along with MOHS both my dermatologist and I agreed on MOHS as you do NOT leave the operating room until all the cancer is removed and no other treatment is need other than (the last one I had had to have stitches) wound monitoring.

Hello, my husband recently was told that a spot that was removed on his face is squamous cell carcinoma. His doctor said that she wants to treat it with a medicine that's a lotion that he will need to use once the lesion scabs up and comes off.

We're definitely scared about this finding and are wondering why she would not just remove the SCC altogether. Is it normal to just try and treat it with a lotion medicine? We're concerned that maybe it's an insurance issue and that they are just putting off doing a procedure. Also, she said to use the lotion and that she will not be able to see him until February.

We're thinking she didn't want him to go to another doctor and is using the lotion as a "bandaid" until she can see him in February.

Should we get another opinion or is this normal since it's the first time he's been diagnosed with this.

FYI, his mother said that she's had a few of these and they had all been removed by her doctor. His father and grandfather also had these in the past, so maybe genetic?

Thank you!

Hello, my husband recently was told that a spot that was removed on his face is squamous cell carcinoma. His doctor said that she wants to treat it with a medicine that's a lotion that he will need to use once the lesion scabs up and comes off.

We're definitely scared about this finding and are wondering why she would not just remove the SCC altogether. Is it normal to just try and treat it with a lotion medicine? We're concerned that maybe it's an insurance issue and that they are just putting off doing a procedure. Also, she said to use the lotion and that she will not be able to see him until February.

We're thinking she didn't want him to go to another doctor and is using the lotion as a "bandaid" until she can see him in February.

Should we get another opinion or is this normal since it's the first time he's been diagnosed with this.

FYI, his mother said that she's had a few of these and they had all been removed by her doctor. His father and grandfather also had these in the past, so maybe genetic?

Thank you!

Hello, my husband recently was told that a spot that was removed on his face is squamous cell carcinoma. His doctor said that she wants to treat it with a medicine that's a lotion that he will need to use once the lesion scabs up and comes off.

We're definitely scared about this finding and are wondering why she would not just remove the SCC altogether. Is it normal to just try and treat it with a lotion medicine? We're concerned that maybe it's an insurance issue and that they are just putting off doing a procedure. Also, she said to use the lotion and that she will not be able to see him until February.

We're thinking she didn't want him to go to another doctor and is using the lotion as a "bandaid" until she can see him in February.

Should we get another opinion or is this normal since it's the first time he's been diagnosed with this.

FYI, his mother said that she's had a few of these and they had all been removed by her doctor. His father and grandfather also had these in the past, so maybe genetic?

Thank you!

The cream they are talking about is most likely Efudex. Brand name is Fluorouracil. I used it a couple times to treat pre cancer areas 9n my face.

angiekasprzak, I do not know your age but told that MOST skin cancer is caused by sun damage we received some 20-30 years ago along with accumulation of sun recently.

I have had a lot of basal cell and squamous cancer removed. I have always used the MOHS surgery to cure them. This last one I had removed in September required 6 stitches and was the worst one yet.

The last one was NOT in a sun damaged area. I was told squamous cell caner can be caused by many other things. HPV, damage to skin, injuries can develop into squamous cancer. So what that meant to me was to monitor all skin locations not those I know were exposed to sun over decades.

My issues with the skin cancer started later in life with most of my surgeries in my 70s. I am 76.

I get my dermatology care from Mayo Clinic since 2006. Every time I have a biopsy and comes back skin cancer I am given several options for treating it along with the success of each and the complications of each.

Thus my dermatologist is very informative and I have chosen MOHS surgery every time. MOHS surgery is not painful after pain medication injected. What it does is take skin off around the biopsy and see if all has been removed as they go beyond the biopsy area. The removed skin is then sent to pathology who examines it.

If there are any signs of cancer the surgeon comes back and remove more of the skin and pathology examines again. The process continues until all the cancer is removed. It a curative surgery.

Mayo cancer surgeons are very specialized especially the MOHS surgeons. I would definitely get a second opinion and options for treated it. I was given the lotion, freezing, and other options along with MOHS both my dermatologist and I agreed on MOHS as you do NOT leave the operating room until all the cancer is removed and no other treatment is need other than (the last one I had had to have stitches) wound monitoring.