My father, 94, had his first SCC removed in 1958 - before I even existed. Since them he's had numerous SCCs excised or frozen.
Three years ago, age 91, he had one atop his head and had Mohs. Surgery and pathology lasted six hours and the resulting hole went all the way down to bone. There was no reconstructive surgery. However, it healed nicely in two months (surgeon was amazed at how quickly it healed.)
He now has a large SCC on his shoulder/back and it will leave an even larger hole than the one he had removed from his head. The surgeon said he would remove it but couldn't use a skin flap or reconstructive surgery. Because of its location, his arm could be weak or weaken while it healed. And since it's larger, it could take even longer to heal. He strongly urged us to at least talk to the RT doc.
My father decided to try RT. He went for the first of nine daily sessions today. Due to the location of the SCC and the short term treatment, he's not expected to have any of the side effects that most RT patients have.
As a general rule, anything under 2cm is treatable with cryotherapy, excising, or topical. Anything on face or head - Mohs. Larger than 2cm - Mohs or radiation. Usually radiation is not offered unless the patient is over 70 yrs old.
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Three years ago, age 91, he had one atop his head and had Mohs. Surgery and pathology lasted six hours and the resulting hole went all the way down to bone. There was no reconstructive surgery. However, it healed nicely in two months (surgeon was amazed at how quickly it healed.)
He now has a large SCC on his shoulder/back and it will leave an even larger hole than the one he had removed from his head. The surgeon said he would remove it but couldn't use a skin flap or reconstructive surgery. Because of its location, his arm could be weak or weaken while it healed. And since it's larger, it could take even longer to heal. He strongly urged us to at least talk to the RT doc.
My father decided to try RT. He went for the first of nine daily sessions today. Due to the location of the SCC and the short term treatment, he's not expected to have any of the side effects that most RT patients have.
As a general rule, anything under 2cm is treatable with cryotherapy, excising, or topical. Anything on face or head - Mohs. Larger than 2cm - Mohs or radiation. Usually radiation is not offered unless the patient is over 70 yrs old.