High Number of Certain Skin Cancers Linked to Increased Risk

VLH - aw, you're sweet! I try to take this in stride and I have come to accept that the skin cancers will continue and because it is so common to get them on the shoulders and arms due to exposure I am sure my poor LE arm will have more BCCs removed. We have to be vigilant about the bandaging - this has been an issue for the many BC reconstructive surgeries I have had as well, my current PS has been very good about using stuff that doesn't cause issues, the previous one not so much. I was upset about the rash from the last steri-strip debacle because my DH's high school reunion in Miami (in July - who does that? It was so hot!) was right after the suture removal and I had to replan my whole wardrobe to cover this ugly rash - also meant I was hot because I had sleeves..... I am also allergic to topical antibiotic so have to be careful about that along with the bacitracin irrigant commonly used during surgery. Pretty soon I will be living in a protective bubble, lol!

ispy - the Allergic Girl's Club, lol! It is an interesting thing though, right? I found out about the topical antibiotic allergy through drug and cosmetic testing by a derm after that plaque like rash thing I mentioned earlier that was initially thought to be lupus. It is important also because there is a kidney infection IV drug that is neomycin (Neosporin) based.

Miami in July, SpecialK? That's just crazy talk! My arms are hideous so I always look for 3/4 sleeves or longer, but miss tank top days. It's ironic that my dramatically reduced bosom could rock a strapless look, but the rest of my body is calling for a full-length caftan.

I don't do bandaging... just the pump and sleeve + gautlet. The LE specialist mentioned it, but I balked when she said I would need to wear the initial bandaging for two weeks, wrapping the entire hand and arm for showering. I had to have a PICC line when draining a seroma resulted in a nasty infection, but that bandaging wasn't as intrusive when it came to households tasks, including caring for 2 - 50 pound dogs.

I_Spy, interesting correlation with the adhesive allergies, isn't it, albeit with a tiny sample size? Luckily, I have no issues with topical antibiotics. I'm at fault to some extent with the initial skin cancer excision because I'd forgotten about my skin becoming very irritated when I had 37 staples following hip replacement surgery. Actually, surgeries because an incorrect component was inserted initially. The drop in blood pressure from two major surgeries in two days put me into kidney failure, I needed a blood transfusion & my three-day hospitalization morphed into a full week. I was fine after the initial surgery, had five friends in my room to celebrate that night only to feel like I'd been hit by a truck after the second one so maybe I blocked out the skin reaction as minor? 🤔

May our skin be free of #&$*@ cancer cooties from this point forward!

Lyn

I Spy - just heard from my son, who is on an HMO plan at Kaiser, that they have significantly reduced his dermatology benefits. In his case, the PCP is supposed to diagnose. Give me a break !!! Thank goodness he understand from past history that most PCPs wouldn't be able to identify or property treat pre-cancerous lesions. He is paying to go to derm doc outside the network for a full body scan once a year since he is at significant risk. He then hopes to take that report to his PCP and by virtue of that, coerce the PCP into providing a recommend to a derm specialist if necessary. Sounds like you're lucky to even get to a derm doc.

I understand your sarcasm & agree. Glad it's not "high risk". If you can't somehow get the MOHS, it looks like your next best option is excision with a surgeon.

VLH - Miami in July - I know, right? I get that they used to plan these reunions in the past at the height of summer because people had young kids and they needed to be out of school, but this was his 40th reunion - if anyone had young kids, that is a whole separate problem, lol! My last reunion (also 40th but 3 years ago) was in September, in Los Angeles, but it was 100 degrees and this was an outdoor event. Um, what? Oh well, had fun anyway. I too am wearing clothes with sleeves - nobody needs to see my 62 year old arms. Or me in a bathing suit. Or shorts. Lol! Wanted to elucidate - when I said bandaging I meant after surgery for the adhesive issue - I have so far escaped bandaging for LE. Thank goodness.

ispy - superficial BCC accounts for a large percentage of lesions, meaning that it doesn't go very deep and tends to spread across the skin rather than deep into it. The vast majority of my BCCs have been superficial, but this doesn't necessarily mean they don't require MOHS. I have had them recur, or had them on my face, and those ones have required MOHS. Otherwise, mine have been treated by wide excision, burn and scrape, cryotherapy, and topical cream (Aldara) that accomplishes desquamation, initially in a clinical trial with NIH. Keep in mind that margins are important in skin cancer just as in breast cancer. Biopsy is inexact and often has dirty margins, so going back in to clean up surgically or by any other method is for the accomplishment of good clean margins, even if the BCC is superficial. Also, I would do the excisional procedure if for no other reason than to get the pathology.

Thank you ladies for all this information on skin cancer. 

I am BRCA2+ (maternal side) and I had some great uncles on the other side of the family with skin cancer. 

My brother (not yet tested for BRCA) has had some skin cancer removed from his face. He's an environmental engineer and works outdoors a lot. He's not as good with medical details, so I don't know what type of skin cancer nor the type of biopsy or excisions he had.

I spent my first 32 years in Massachusetts, and I wasn't an outdoorsy person. I've lived here at the Jersey Shore for 25 years. I'm noticing a few dark spots on my face that may need attention. 

One more skin cancer person chiming in....

I have had plenty of BCC, one Squamous, and one Melanoma. The Melanoma was when I was about 35. It appeared as first an itch, and then a black spot on a mole. AND I too have a sensitivity to adhesives (not horrible, but Curad gives me a red welt -- Bandaid does not.) And now I have TNBC. 2 treatments down and 4 to go.

Basals look pinker, rougher, shinier or a litlle raw. One of mine was a little growth that was a bit like a mole but not brown, just skin colored. The squamous cancer was like a pimple that would not heal.

I grew up in California and have had a ton of sun exposure. Most of my cancer on L side or face and L arm (driving exposure). My understanding is that Basal Cell Cancer is NOT life threatening. Squamous is a bit more serious, but it's melanoma that's the potential killer.

I am a DES daughter. DES (diethylstilbesterol) was a synthetic estrogen they used to give in the 1950's and 60's to pregnant women to prevent miscarriage. My Mom took it when pregnant w me. Anyone else here exposed to DES, or exposed to other endocrine disrupter? Zero cancer in my family tree, and lots of 90 year olds.

I had genetic testing and it came up with a variant on TP53... but NOT the known bad one. A different one of "uncertain significance."

bump

I actually meant I did not have Li Fraumeni syndrome, from TP-53, rather I came up with a different mutation of TP53. I do not have BRCA or anything else but that one unknown TP 53 mutation-- and DES exposure-- to explain my cancer risk...

Thanks for your reply!