I met with the dermatologist at my clinic a month or so ago. The bump next to my left eye was too big and too close to my eye for her to take off. So she sent me to a plastic surgeon with the instructions to do a biopsy on it. There was a small, very small chance it was cancerous, so she wanted it looked at "just to make sure." Last week I met with the plastic surgeon. He took a sample to send off for a pathology test. He didn't remove it...since it would need to be removed in a special way if it is cancerous. So, he called today...turns out the bump has a bit of cancer in it. Basel Cell Carcinoma. Most common. Most curable. Doesn't spread.
Here's what wikipedia says about it:
"Basal cell carcinoma is a type of skin cancer. It is the most common and least lethal form of all cancers. It is a malignant epithelial cell tumor that begins as a papule (a small, circumscribed, solid elevation of the skin) and enlarges peripherally, developing into a crater that erodes, crusts and bleeds. Metastasis is rare, but local invasion destroys underlying and adjacent tissue. In 90 percent of all cases, the lesion is seen between the hairline and the upper lip. It can be destructive and disfiguring. The risk of skin cancer is related to the amount of sun exposure and pigmentation in the skin. The longer the exposure to the sun and the lighter the skin, the greater the risk of skin cancer. There are three types of BCC: The most common type of basal cell carcinoma is nodular basal cell carcinoma, a flesh-colored (cream to pink), round or oval translucent nodule with overlying small blood vessels and a pearly-appearing rolled border."
This is the method/treatment:
Mohs surgery: Mohs surgery (or Mohs micrographic surgery) is an outpatient procedure in which the tumor is surgically excised and then immediately examined under a microscope. The base and edges are microscopically examined to verify sufficient margins before the surgical repair of the site. If the margins are insufficient, more is removed from the patient until the margins are sufficient.
So, no big deal...but freaking me out a bit just the same.
rj
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3 comments:
you'll be fine. thx 4 having it chkd out.
I'm so glad you had this checked and I just know all will go well. I'm sorry I gave you such fair skin. Maybe if you had gotten your Dad and Grandma K's olive slavic skin tone this would not have happened. Then again there are no promises in this world.
love u, Mom
I'd be freaked out too. Glad it's curable.
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