Metastatic squamous cell skin cancer after Moh's Surgery

Loli
Loli Member Posts: 3 Member
edited March 13 in Skin Cancer #1

Hello,

I am a 64 year old otherwise healthy retired RN. I was recently diagnosed with metastatic cutaneous (skin) squamous cell cancer.

History: I had had Mohs surgery to remove a lesion on my left arm in 2019. Just this past November, I had an MRI for a sore arm/shoulder (unrelated) and they noticed an enlarged lymph node under my left arm. Fine needle biopsy showed squamous cell cancer.

My brain scan and PET scan were negative except for "moderate uptake" in a left neck node. Thankfully, the neck node was negative on biopsy.

I begin immunotherapy this week (Cemiplimab/Libtayo) for 2 to 3 sessions, then they will remove a few or all of my axillary nodes (depending on whether immunotherapy works). If it doesn't work, I will need radiation too.

Anyone out there with metastatic squamous skin cancer?

Thank you.

Comments

  • Pamwill1960
    Pamwill1960 Member Posts: 1 *
    #2

    Hi Loli, I too am an otherwise healthy 63 year old. I had a lesion on the interior tip of my R nostril. I had Mohs Surgery to 3 passes to get clear margins. After the first pass the surgeon came back and said that this can kill me! Not at all whT I expected to hear! The Surgery left a huge hole in my nostril and he had to remove cartilage. The final diagnosis was SCC with PNI which put me at a stage 3 because of my risk factors of light skin, blonde and blue eyed. I went to Oncologist and he recommended that I wait to see how the nose "granulates" before reconstruction. He gave me option of wait and monitor with 3 month scans or radiation. I had consultation with Radiation Oncologist who told me that reconstruction would not work very well after radiation, the skin gets too thin. I therefore waited on radiation. I will have 3 month CT a day appointment with Oncologist on 5/23, as long as there is NED, I will have reconstruction Surgery on 6/10 and then I have decided to do Radiation Therapy and anything else ie: immunotherapy. I decided I need to be a warrior!

    How did the immunotherapy work? I pray that the results were good 👍, but if not radiation is the way to go if needed.

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