Scared Out Of My Mind!! Son Just Diagnosed!

Hi All, I am new here... so sad to be here ... I am crying as I type. In fact, I have been crying almost non-stop for three days. My 21 year old son has just been diagnosed as having an SCC skin cancer on his ear. More tests scheduled for later in the week so that they can tell us whether it has invaded his lymph glands. 

Although he is young, I am remarkably negative (usually positive!) The reason I feel this way is that, from everything I have read SCCs have a high success rate in treatment if caught early. My son has had this horrid, festering sore on his ear for AT LEAST 6 or 7 months. During this time, it has continued to grow and distend. It is now at a point where it is continually weeping and festering (sorry if this sounds gross)...It takes up most of the ear opening. From my perspective, this tends to indicate that the SCC is fairly well advanced... or am I incorrect? (HAPPY if I am wrong here!!)  The doctors have done a couple of test already and said that the tumour is pretty loose and hasn't attached itself to anything, and also confirmed that it isn't in the brain. They felt his lymph glands then stuck something up his nose and down his throat - said that they didn't detect any swelling of the lymph glands. The positive side of me says that this is all good news and that everything will be fine (..we know that he is going to lose most of his ear - but who cares - as long as my boy lives!!!!)  ... the negative side of me cries constantly because "early detection" is of paramount importance with SCCs on the ear - and I don't think we can call this early - especially when I look at how festery and gross the tumour has become. If that is what it has done on the outside, what is going on on the inside? ..... PLEASE HELP ME... I would be so grateful if someone can assist here. I need the truth - even if it isn't great news. At least it will help me start to cope!!! 

I don't know if this will help, since I don't have SCC, but I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer with mets to the liver in July of '04.  I was initially told, by several doctors, that I could die at any moment but I had 18 months to live tops. 

I did a lot of research, went to a top hospital 8 hours away, signed up for a Stage II clinical trial, and, as you can see, have had no evidence of disease since I had my liver resected in September of '04.  I stopped chemo in June of '05. 

There is hope, no matter what kind of cancer you have, no matter what stage, people do survive. 

I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

Dorothy

SCCa of the skin is very treatable and DO NOT LET THEM do surgery upfront and mutilate him for life.  Radiation or Chemoradiation can get the same results with surgery reserved for salvage if it comes back or persists and usually if the treatment has shrunk the tumor a less morbid procedure can be done.

The biggest worry is someone this young getting a cancer that usually doesn't appear till later in life.  This of course depends on skin type, sun exposure, genetic factors and any medications (immuno suppressives) the person may be taking.

Make sure he sees a radiation oncologist and a Medical oncologist before they cut him up.  He should also see a Head and neck surgeon not just a dermatologist.

A little about irradiation for skin cancer;

Have any of you been offered radiation therapy for your skin cancers??

Most derms to offer it and it is Malpractice not too.  Particularly if the surgery is going to be cosmetically disfiguring or cause a  functional problem. 

To the man who has multiple cancers Most can be treated in one course of therapy and the AREA of involvement ie precancers can be treated also and as opposed to the creams the effect is usually permanent.  The secret of radiation treatments is they can treat the cancer and "clean up" the area so no more cancers will develope.  The derms do not want you to know this for obvious reasons.  They make a fortune off the MOH's.

Some derms still have radiation machine in their offices, but I would recommend going to a radiation oncologist.  So if the derm tries to say radiation is not used seek another opinion.

You can use radiation or surgery anywhere on the body.  Which is better depends on the location and number as well as which gives the best results.

Reasons for irradiation;

1. Patient choice, some have had so many surgeries they don't want anymore

2 Medical; Some are on blood thinners and it would be risky to treat or on area (legs) which may not heal well.

3. Cosmesis; irradiation given properly leaves NO scar and of course leave the nose , eyes, lips and ears looking normal

4. Function; operating on the lip or eyelid can cause functional problems

5. Multiple areas;  Can be treated at one time.  It is also cost effective because the cost stays the same essentially whether treating one site or 5 or 6 sites.

6 Areas can be treated;  This means that not only the cancer but the surrounding precancerous area can be treated which reducies the number of future problems

7.  Advanced disease where there is a chance of LN involvement.  These should be treated like Cancer of the Head and Neck, not skin cancers.

Most Derms never offer it.  The side effects are local only/ no systemic and less than the creams besides being more effective.  Photodynamic therapy is horrible.  Skin cancers are an epidemic and there are so many that it take all professionals to treat them even primary care.  My concern is we are seeing ADVANCED skin cancers which require more treatment and are spreading to other areas because pts avoid or cant get in to see a derm or have treatment in a timely manner.

SCCA is the same cancer as Lung Cancer or other head and neck cancers , let it grow and it will spread.  Even basel cell can eventually spread.

This is mostly a response to the one from Witchdoctor above. Although this is long after the original post, someone may come across this thread and the information is useful.

As a physician and surgeon, I take exception to your reply. Treatment of skin cancer is a large part of what I do. I also treat early and late effects of radiation. 

Many squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas may be treated early with topical 5-FU ( efudex) or Aldara. Both cancers are usually very easily treated unless someone lets them go for a long time. Note we are talking about skin cancer here, not oral cancer which is a completely different subject. SCCA and BCCA rarely metastasize so there is often a decent window to work with. Of the two, SCCA is much more likely the one to spread.

 Surgery is the next option to choose if topical medications don't work or the cancer is more advanced. MOHS surgery by a dermatologist is the most exacting way to eliminate a cancer although it certainly isn't always necessary. Unless the derm. surgeon has extra training in reconstruction and a lot of experience, the reconstruction should be performed by a plastic surgeon. They are skilled at recreating normal anatomy.

Radiation should be reserved for salvage only, especially in someone young. Radiation certainly can eliminate a skin cancer, but also significantly damages surrounding tissues in a way that is progressive and continuous. It can also be as or more disfiguring than a proper reconstruction.  I frequently treat radiated tissues 5-10 years or more out from radiation to treat a primary small skin cancer that could have easily been excised and reconstructed for a complete cure. Instead, the radiation used has guaranteed a gift that keeps on giving.

Most skin cancers are easily treated and although the word cancer is scary, the majority of skin cancers are cured.