Squamous Cell Carcinoma

[Joshua2415]

So, I just underwent surgery last Friday to have a squamous cell carcinoma removed from my right cheek. It presented itself as an actinic keratosis back in early May. I’ve had plenty of these and they usually come and go from time to time. Only this one seemed to have a boil-like look and feel to it…so as always, I picked at it, squeezed it, and ultimately irritated the crap out of it. It then turned into a large volcanic lump on my cheek with an open sore…no bueno. Well, after about a week of it not getting any better, I called the dermatologist and scheduled an appointment. He took a biopsy and it came back positive for a squamous cell carcinoma. I’m very thankful that it presented itself the way that it did, because I probably would have never gone in to see the doctor otherwise.

I got my stitches out yesterday. ..the internal stitches will take about 45 – 60 days to completely dissolve I’m told. The doctor was very pleased with the way things looked and received the official pathology report with an ‘all clear’ result!

Anyone else have any experience with these? If so, did you have any reoccurrences? I’m hoping and praying that this is the last of it and not just the beginning of things to come.

 

[john4surf]

I've sadly gone through surgery to remove a number of those little bitches. Never had one come back in the same place (the 'plug' taken out will reveal success or failure to get all of the carcinoma by ensuring no 'roots' are seen on the plug's exterior).

As a teen in the 50's & 60's we never used sun screen rather, baby oil with mercurochrome or other oils was the norm when at the beach after sessions. Sun burnt noses, ears, etc., was the norm. I'm surprised I'm still around as a blonde Scandinavian heritage.

Annual skin checks by your GP or dermatoligist and lots of sunscreen, wide-brim hats, etc., is the norm now (particularly with our kids and grandkids). Stay healthy! John

 

[Q_Surf]

glad you caught that sir lance-a-lot.

i thought squamous cell was a cloud type.

show

us

your

cheek!

 

[Mike_Jones]

I've sadly gone through surgery to remove a number of those little bitches. Never had one come back in the same place (the 'plug' taken out will reveal success or failure to get all of the carcinoma by ensuring no 'roots' are seen on the plug's exterior).
......
Annual skin checks by your GP or dermatoligist and lots of sunscreen, wide-brim hats, etc., is the norm now (particularly with our kids and grandkids). Stay healthy! John

Then how come cancer is on the rise while people stay inside more and use sun screen more? How did humans get here? Did humans evolve while staying indoors, and only venturing outside with lots of sun screen on?
..

 

[Mike_Jones]

.
The key lies in your chubby red cheeks. If you want to avoid cancer, then avoid the carbohydrates which cause cancer .......sugars and grains. Beef up on meat, fat and seafood. Yeah, wear sunscreen. It keeps you from getting burned. But it's NOT how to avoid cancer. If you insist on carb loading, then you had better use sun screen ......or you will get cancer much sooner.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2012/December/starving-cancer-ketogenic-diet-a-key-to-recovery/

Read through the papers linked from Dr. D'Agostino's website:
http://ketonutrition.org/

Follow john4surf's advice and the *best* outcome you can hope fore is his outcome, a long string of skin cancer, plunging into prostate cancer, and ending.......

You CAN change your diet. Start here:
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/blog/
..

 

[afoaf]

I got confirmed for basal this week, going in for mohs next week.

 

[Joshua2415]

I've sadly gone through surgery to remove a number of those little bitches. Never had one come back in the same place (the 'plug' taken out will reveal success or failure to get all of the carcinoma by ensuring no 'roots' are seen on the plug's exterior).

As a teen in the 50's & 60's we never used sun screen rather, baby oil with mercurochrome or other oils was the norm when at the beach after sessions. Sun burnt noses, ears, etc., was the norm. I'm surprised I'm still around as a blonde Scandinavian heritage.

Annual skin checks by your GP or dermatoligist and lots of sunscreen, wide-brim hats, etc., is the norm now (particularly with our kids and grandkids). Stay healthy! John

It had been almost two years since my last visit to the dermatologist...I'm now back on the annual visit program. Thanks! :hat:

glad you caught that sir lance-a-lot.

i thought squamous cell was a cloud type.

show

us

your

cheek!

Thanks!

I got confirmed for basal this week, going in for mohs next week.

Good luck! My surgeon did the mohs surgery as well and got it all on the first scoop. It was reassuring to get the official results yesterday confirming the initial pathology report. Are you having general anesthesia? I fought it, but my surgeon wanted me out so I wouldn't move at all during surgery. I guess it was better just to wake up and have it over...

 

[Boneroni]

Ugh, no fun Joshua, but MUCH better than not doing it and getting worse news later.

Best recovery to you! Do you have to stay out of the water?

 

[Joshua2415]

Glad to hear you're on the other side of this one, Josh.
Your new scar looks like the Mark of Zorro! Signed, Sgt. Garcia :hat:

Thanks OT! Yes, Zorro was the first thing I thought of when I saw the scar. I've also been told it looks like Harry Potter...

Ugh, no fun Joshua, but MUCH better than not doing it and getting worse news later.

Best recovery to you! Do you have to stay out of the water?

Unfortunately, yes. I've been out all week and the doctor wants me to refrain from any 'strenuous' activity or exercise for at least two weeks...we'll see. :smile2:

 

[Ifallalot]

That's not cancerous is it?

Gnarly

Did you take any videos of you picking at it? You could be a Youtube star!

And Squidley is right, eating even a third of the daily recommended amount of carbs is too much

 

[flyinraptr]

Then how come cancer is on the rise while people stay inside more and use sun screen more? How did humans get here? Did humans evolve while staying indoors, and only venturing outside with lots of sun screen on?
..

Part of the reason is the depletion of the ozone layer - which protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. In the early 70's - it was discovered that certain chemicals manufactured by man released into the atmosphere resulted in ozone layer depletion and subsequently more ultraviolet radiation getting through. An International treaty was signed by in '73 to reduce the manufacturing/use of harmful chemicals but it is questionable whether newer industrialized countries like China, Mexico adhere to it.

 

[Joshua2415]

That's not cancerous is it?

Yes, although they are less common than basal cell carcinomas.

Squamous cell carcinoma

About 2 out of 10 skin cancers are squamous cell carcinomas (also called squamous cell cancers). The cells in these cancers look like abnormal versions of the squamous cells seen in the outer layers of the skin.

These cancers commonly appear on sun-exposed areas of the body such as the face, ears, neck, lips, and backs of the hands. They can also develop in scars or chronic skin sores elsewhere. They sometimes start in actinic keratoses (described below). Less often, they form in the skin of the genital area.

Squamous cell cancers are more likely to grow into deeper layers of skin and spread to other parts of the body than basal cell cancers, although this is still uncommon.

 

[62surfer]

http:///Users/idothepictures/Desktop/SURF JOURNEY/CANCER SURGERIES/CancerSurgery#4-June2015/IMG_0217.JPG

These things are nasty…. latest one was 50 Stitches… Recovery went well and back to surfing and training.

 

[casa_mugrienta]

Then how come cancer is on the rise while people stay inside more and use sun screen more? How did humans get here? Did humans evolve while staying indoors, and only venturing outside with lots of sun screen on?
..

Better access to healthcare and aggressive dermatologists who will biopsy anything and everything. If you look for cancer, you will find it.

 

[Mike_Jones]

I've written on this forum that I have NF1. But I'm not sure I said this. NF1 is a precursor to many cancers. NF1 makes tumors on the myelin linings of nerves throughout the body, especially in the brain and on optic nerves. These tumors often become cancerous. And that stands to reason because cancer and NF1 share the same chemical pathways. The genetic pathway is called the mRNA-to-RAS pathway. The mRNA-to-RAS pathway is activated and subverted by JNK1 and JNK2 (junk 1 and 2). Junk is placed into cells by ingesting fructose .....everything which tastes sweet.

I was on a very carb-restrictive diet, but I had two increasingly bad symptoms. I had a couple of dime-size tumors on my back and a bunch of small growing tumors in a lot of places. One was on my right lung. I was also having vision problems, tinnitus, neck ache, migraine headache and hand tremors. I thought my bumps must be schistosomiasis from swimming. I figured my head symptoms as idiopathic (unknown) intracranial hypertension (IIH)

As soon as I discovered I have NF1 I devised that I was developing some sort of tumor on my optic nerve. I started into drastic carb reduction. I am now into what's called a full-ketogenic diet. I eat some meat, LOTS of fat, and green non-legume veggies. My symptoms are abating. My visible tumors are drastically shrinking, my vision and headaches are improving. My tremor remains, but I'm working on it. Consensus medicine says that tremor is only controllable, not curable. We'll see........

This CAN be done, people. Via three close, dead friends and relatives I can tell you that medicine can't do it.
..

 

[Mike_Jones]

Then how come cancer is on the rise while people stay inside more and use sun screen more? How did humans get here? Did humans evolve while staying indoors, and only venturing outside with lots of sun screen on?
..

Part of the reason is the depletion of the ozone layer - which protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. In the early 70's - it was discovered that certain chemicals manufactured by man released into the atmosphere resulted in ozone layer depletion and subsequently more ultraviolet radiation getting through. An International treaty was signed by in '73 to reduce the manufacturing/use of harmful chemicals but it is questionable whether newer industrialized countries like China, Mexico adhere to it.

I suppose depletion of the ozone layer is also responsible for the concurrent explosion of metabolic and autoimmune disease. A recent large-scale meta study showed that type 2 diabetics are 3.5 times as likely to have cancer as the general population.

Cancer's pathways say there is a small environmental component, but a MASSIVE dietary component. And the rise in cancer rate has been MASSIVE.
..

 

[Lance Mannion]

I figured my head symptoms as idiopathic (unknown) intracranial hypertension (IIH)

You deserve a thorough flaming for this regardless of your intracranial pressure.

 

[Fuller]

The main reason for increased skin cancers is that we're all living long enough to get them. There may be a component related to diet but it's not known to be significant - regardless of squidley's usual ax grinding.

I've had about 18-24 bits removed over the years; squamous, basal cell, melanoma, you name it. My last dermo appt came back clean for the first time in years so I'm stocked about that.

Anyone else have any experience with these? If so, did you have any reoccurrences? I’m hoping and praying that this is the last of it and not just the beginning of things to come.

Chances are excellent that you won't have any problems related to that site. The Mohs surgery is a fantastic procedure especially for the face. You will hardly see that scar in a few years. The bad news is that it is probably related to overall sun exposure and your genetic make up which means you will get others. I would insist on a 6 month interval check up for as long as you need.

Good luck mate!

 

[Fuller]

Then how come cancer is on the rise while people stay inside more and use sun screen more? How did humans get here? Did humans evolve while staying indoors, and only venturing outside with lots of sun screen on?
..

Better access to healthcare and aggressive dermatologists who will biopsy anything and everything. If you look for cancer, you will find it.

Agreed, but I owe my life to my own aggressive management of my dermatologists. I pretty much talked him into doing a biopsy on the one that could have killed me. I had asked about that particular mole 2 times before and he said it was OK. It wasn't.

 

[Mike_Jones]

.
Age is a risk factor for cancer. At the turn of the 20th century Americans lived somewhat less than 50 years. Those people had a moderate risk of cancer. Today American cancer risk for people under 50 is many-fold what the risk was then. Witness the age of the title poster ......I'd say 30, give or take a decade.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/07/cancer-among-inuit.html

People who live in non-civilized cultures basically have no cancer ......at any age.

In the late 1700's European explorers reported that they had seen no cancer among the Inuit Indians. That was in stark contrast to Europeans who suffered from what today we would call a moderate cancer rate. From 1885 to 1907 a physician named George B. Leavitt traveled through the Inuit Indians actively searching for cases of cancer. He found none .......zero.

The traditional Inuit diet consisted of meat and fat, mostly fat, and whatever they managed to forage in the summer. The European diet consisted of ......grains.
..