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OK, it's not the "BIG" big "C", just the small one.
Had my annual check up with the dermatologist last Wednesday.
Spot on my back, one on my chest, and one about a half an inch under my right eye looked "suspicious".
Back and chest "probably nothing", but the eye bump looked like it might be a "little basal cell carcinoma".
Shaved a bit of all three for biopsies. Painless.
Got the results today. Back and chest not cancer, but the eye bump is basal cell. Go in a week from Thursday for surgical excision.
The drill is that he whacks out what looks like all of the growth and I wait for an hour and a half while they biopsy that. If they got it all, I get sewn up and go home and that's about it. If it looks like he didn't, we go back in a do a little more.
About me:
I grew up in the 40s and 50s when we didn't know about ultraviolet skin damage. It was cool and "healthy" to have a good tan. Many's the summer I worked on mine. A few times I overdid it and burned. Even blistered a couple of times. And then there was my summer as a lifeguard in Myrtle Beach. SUN CITY! I'm sure I qualify for what is termed "chronic sun exposure" below.
So...you guys check each other out for strange looking "spots". If you can, see a dermatologist once a year. Especially if you're in or approaching "seniorhood".
Although this is said to be the "best" kind of skin cancer you can have, I'll sure appreciate all the good karma you can send my way.
Here's the rest of what you always wanted to know:
Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy in humans. It typically occurs in areas of chronic sun exposure. BCC is usually slow growing and rarely metastasizes, but it can cause significant local destruction and disfigurement if neglected or treated inadequately. Prognosis is excellent with proper therapy.
Frequency:
In the US: Annual incidence is 900,000 people (550,000 male, 350,000 female). Age-adjusted incidence per 100,000 white individuals is 475 in men and 250 in women. The estimated lifetime risk of BCC in the white population is 33-39% in men and 23-28% in women.
Mortality/Morbidity: BCC can cause significant morbidity if allowed to progress. Because this cancer most commonly affects the head and neck, cosmetic disfigurement is not uncommon. Loss of vision or the eye may occur with orbital involvement. Perineural spread can result in loss of nerve function, as well as much deeper and extensive invasion of the tumor. These neoplasms are often very friable and prone to ulcerate, providing a nidus for infection. Death due to BCC is extremely rare.
Race: BCC is generally a disorder of white individuals, especially those with very fair skin. It is rare in individuals with dark skin.
Sex: The male-to-female ratio is approximately 3:2.
Age: BCC most commonly occurs in adulthood, especially in the elderly population.
History: Patients often present with a nonhealing sore of varying duration. These lesions typically are seen on the face, ears, scalp, neck, or upper trunk. Very mild trauma, such as face washing or drying with a towel, initially may cause bleeding. A history of chronic recreational or occupational sun exposure commonly is elicited. Often, intense sun exposure occurred in childhood or young adulthood.
Surgical Excision
Surgical excision is a technique that involves the use of a scalpel to excise (cut out) the cancerous tissue. The area of the cancer is numbed using a local anesthetic, and a small measurement of 2-4 mm of normal skin surrounding the lesion is made. The cancer plus surrounding normal skin is then removed by incision with the scalpel blade. Stitches are placed to bring the adjacent wound edges together. In some cases, extra skin may be mobilized or taken from a distant site, in order to cover the surgical defect (flap or graft). Pain during treatment is minimal and post-operatively, may feel comparable to that of a >bruise=. Surgical excision may require 1-2 post operative visits (including suture removal), and heals more rapidly than that of ED&C and cryosurgery. The cosmetic result is superior to the previously mentioned techniques, but is dependent upon the size and location of the tumor. The overall chance of a cure with surgical excision may range from 94-98% (This statistic would be lower in high risk areas of the face, and with the treatment of larger and more aggressive tumors). The long term side effects include scarring, and rarely, nerve damage. An advantage of excision is that the margins of the excision specimen can be checked microscopically by a pathologist.
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