Crossing Over to the Cancer Side
I was sitting in my car outside a coffee shop when the phone call came. The woman said she was calling from Dr. S.’s office and that my biopsy results were in. “The results show squamous cell carcinoma”. Poof ! Just like that I went from being cancer free to being someone who now had to answer yes to “history of cancer” questions on insurance forms, medical forms, etc. I had been the only one in my book club of women who had not had some form of cancer. Now we were unanimous. Weird thoughts.
Now four years later, as I sit here waiting for my next appointment to have more tissue removed from the spot on my leg, I think about all the summers spent lying in the sun slathered in baby oil with iodine added. First you needed a really good burn if you were fair skinned to finally turn that coveted shade of tan. The iodine laced baby oil did the trick. Sun damage is not your friend when you are over 50.
Skin Cancer. YOU NEED TO KNOW THE SIGNS and you need to pay attention. No, it isn’t lung cancer, or liver/pancreatic or prostate cancer but IT IS CANCER and it can spread.
My first diagnosis came after I caught what I thought was a small skin tag on my upper chest, on a necklace. I pulled it off, a little thing no bigger than a pencil lead. Within a week it had reappeared and was bigger and uglier. Over the next month it took on a life of its own. I started covering it with a band-aid so it wouldn’t frighten small children. It truly was ugly and the size of a big pencil eraser. A nurse friend kept telling me what I already knew – I needed to see a dermatologist. I’m a nurse. I know the symptoms but there was that part of me saying “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I made the appointment. The doctor said, upon seeing it “I’m not sure exactly what type it is but I know you are not going to leave the office with that on your chest today.” A little shot of numbing agent and a very sharp instrument and it was gone – along with two other suspicious looking lesions I hadn’t even noticed. Six months later a basil cell carcinoma and two other squamous cell growths were removed from my back.
Lesion free for three years I neglected my yearly dermatologist check-up this year. THEN I noticed something sprouting on my upper thigh that looked suspiciously like the first growth on my chest. The biopsy (one month later) required two sutures. The report came back yesterday – atypical/abnormal cells – and a need for more tissue removal for a more definitive diagnosis. Now, I have no plans on being a swim suit model so a little scar tissue on my leg isn’t going to put me out of work but I’d rather they take what they need off now and prevent a larger incision in the future – which will certainly happen if I do not follow up. June 5th will hopefully render me cancer free again – for awhile.
According to the April/May issue of AARP 3.5 MILLION skin cancers are diagnosed in the U.S. ANNUALLY !!! The worst type, malignant melanoma will kill almost 10,000 people this year. The next deadliest, squamous cell has increased by 200% since 1985.
Let’s go over the signs you MUST NOT ignore:
- Asymmetry – one half of a mole or growth does not look identical to the other half.
- Border irregularities – The edges of the mole are blurred, ragged, irregular
- Multi-colored moles or moles/growths that have changed color
- The lesion is NEW or at least 1/4 inch in diameter. A 1/4 inch is slightly bigger than a pencil eraser and my recommendation is anything eraser size or bigger.
- It’s evolving – changing in any way – size, shape or color or if It bleeds easily.
There are three types of skin cancer:
- Basal cell – cell changes on the lowest level of the epidermis (skin) that will appear on the skin. This is the most common type, especially on fair skinned people and usually does not spread.
- Squamous cell – one layer above the basal cells. This type is more invasive and most likely to spread or reoccur.
- Malignant melanoma – a dark brown or black lesion that causes most of the deaths caused by skin cancer.
These cancers spread to other parts of the body by cells breaking off the original growth and entering the blood vessels or lymph vessels where they can be transported to other organs.
Skin cancer is the 6th most common type of cancer in women and the 7th most common type in women.
If you had a severe sunburn as a child or teenager have your skin checked NOW by a dermatologist even if YOU don’t see anything that looks abnormal to you. I would never have found the three on my back. They weren’t painful and I can’t see my back that well, even in the mirror. Ask your spouse or partner to check those areas you can’t see, regularly.
Are you a tanning bed user – now or in the past? Get a check up. They are not as safe was we thought they were 20 years ago.
Wear sunscreen with a high SPF even if you are only out in the sun a short time. Reapply frequently, especially if it is hot and you are sweating.
Sun protective clothing is now available. It is light weight and fully protective of your skin.
Remember that spray tans or self tanning lotion do not give you sun protection even though your skin looks tan.
The best treatment is to prevent skin damage or further skin damage NOW. Take a few minutes and examine your skin and note any growths, lesions, moles, large freckles, warts or skin tags. Any of these that have the characteristics mentioned above need to be reported immediately to your doctor. With early detection and reporting you can minimize the area that needs to be excised and minimize the spread to other organs.
Think about it.