General Possible Skin Cancer

[Eric]

Went in for a small lesion on my chest today that's been around for at least the last year or so. The doctor said she believed it was condition called Actinic keratoses (pre-cancer) and used a freeze spray (cryotherapy) on it, saying to give it a few days and it should blister and fall off.

However, before she did that they took photos with a special camera and sent it to a dermatologist who said while they agree with the doctor, they still have some concerns and want to see me. So I'm in the process of a referral. It sounds like these things are generally treatable but I was hoping it would've been ruled out during today's visit.

 

[Cmaier]

Went in for a small lesion on my chest today that's been around for at least the last year or so. The doctor said she believed it was condition called Actinic keratoses (pre-cancer) and used a freeze spray (cryotherapy) on it, saying to give it a few days and it should blister and fall off.

However, before she did that they took photos with a special camera and sent it to a dermatologist who said while they agree with the doctor, they still have some concerns and want to see me. So I'm in the process of a referral. It sounds like these things are generally treatable but I was hoping it would've been ruled out during today's visit.

They didn’t take a biopsy?

 

[Eric]

They didn’t take a biopsy?

No, she said she would refer the image they took before the procedure to the dermatologist and let them reach out if they wanted to investigate further but didn't think it was warranted. I guess cryotherapy is standard procedure in this type of case.

The dermatologists office did say they thought it was benign but wanted to take a closer look just to be safe, maybe they will do a scraping then.

 

[Roller]

No, she said she would refer the image they took before the procedure to the dermatologist and let them reach out if they wanted to investigate further but didn't think it was warranted. I guess cryotherapy is standard procedure in this type of case.

The dermatologists office did say they thought it was benign but wanted to take a closer look just to be safe, maybe they will do a scraping then.

Cryotherapy is definitely an accepted way to deal with AK. Your physician should look carefully for other AK lesions. In fact, it’s a good idea for everyone to have periodic complete surveys for suspicious skin lesions like melanoma, which are curable if caught early.

 

[shadow puppet]

I hope you get the best results possible. Please keep us updated.

 

[Alli]

I go annually for a full body scan.

 

[Eric]

Got a call from the referred dermatologist today letting me know that they reviewed the scanned images and don't believe it's cancerous, saying it's either a benign lesion or precancerous Keratosis, which is also benign as long as it's treated before it grows over years.

So now I wait to see if the cryotherapy works and as long as it doesn't come back I'm done. Thanks for the thoughts, keeping fingers crossed.