Skin Cancer Awareness & Support

I’ve got to get a few moles removed this Friday since they’re looking a bit suspicious, though my doctor is insisting on a whole battery of follow-up tests afterward... I honestly don't see the point if we're just taking them all out anyway. My sister was actually pushing me today to just head straight to a private clinic for a CT scan, an MRI, physical exams, and biopsies just so I can skip the wait and get answers faster... Does anyone have any idea what a mountain of tests like that would even cost me at a place like Mayo Clinic or a similar specialist center?😢

analogangler5 said:I need to get a few moles removed this Friday because they're looking suspicious. My doctor mentioned I'll need follow-up tests afterward, but I don't get why—if they're all being taken out, isn't that it? Today my sister suggested I go to a private clinic to get CT scans, MRIs, physical exams, and biopsies done right away so I don't have to wait on the standard system. Does anyone have a rough idea how much all of this would cost?😢

I don't see the point in going private 🤷? Medicare or your private insurance should cover this. Why pay a private specialist to run pathology labs just to send the tissue samples back to a hospital that's going to bill them anyway?

If you try to do all of this through private providers, it's going to be incredibly expensive.

Just a quick clarification—skin cancer isn't actually a thing. There is malignant melanoma. Carcinomas are biologically different from melanomas and they don't originate in the skin itself.

sorry Ivanicapec, but I’m not really buying what you’re saying about skin cancer. As far as I know, you’ve got basal cell and squamous cell. My dad actually had basal cell, and he’s still dealing with it—the biopsy showed they didn't get all the healthy margins during the first round. So basically, they just cut out part of the tumor. Now he's just waiting for it to "pop up" again so he can head back under the knife. Cheers.

Jessica Clark56 said:Sorry Angela Wright, but I’m not totally sold on what you’re saying regarding skin cancer. As far as I know, there are different types, like basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. My own father dealt with basal cell, and he’s still managing it (the biopsy confirmed they didn't get all the healthy margins during the initial removal). So, they only cut out part of the cancerous area. Now he's just waiting to see if it "pops up" again so he can head back under the knife. Best,

Thanks for the input. I did a quick Google search and it turns out you're right. 🙏

My reaction was mostly because I noticed how people use "carcinoma" as a sort of polite euphemism for "cancer," even though carcinoma is really just one specific category within the broader umbrella of malignant diseases.

Angela Wright said:Thanks for the heads up. I did some digging online and it turns out you're absolutely right. 🙏

My reaction mostly stemmed from noticing how people tend to use "carcinoma" as this softer, more polite euphemism for cancer, even though technically it's just one specific subset of malignant diseases...

Ivanka Trump, I won't get into all the messy reasons why private insurance is such a headache right now, but there's plenty to unpack. I'm just wondering if anyone here has a ballpark idea of what the costs might look like so I can actually prepare myself?😢And thanks for all the replies, I'm honestly pretty terrified so any bit of advice really helps.😢

Jessica Clark56 said:Sorry Angela Wright, but I’m not entirely sure what you mean regarding skin cancer. From what I understand, there's both basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. My father actually had basal cell, and he's still dealing with it (the biopsy confirmed they didn't clear all the healthy cells around the edges). So, basically, they only cut out part of the cancer. Now he's just waiting for it to "pop up" again so he can go back under the knife... Best,

I think a doctor mentioned something along those lines to me, though honestly, everything was such a blur from the shock... but I guess now I get why they run more tests after the procedure, just to make sure they actually got it all...🤷😢

analogangler5 said:Angela Wright, I won't get into the weeds right now about why I'm looking at private clinics instead of the hospital system, but there are plenty of reasons. I just want to know if anyone here has an idea of what the rough cost would be so I can prepare myself financially.😢Thanks for all the replies; I'm pretty freaked out, so any advice helps.😢

Stop panicking. A pathology report is the only thing that actually matters here. Right now, you're stuck in limbo because nothing is confirmed yet. Just because a doctor wants to remove something that looks suspicious doesn't mean you've already received a bad diagnosis.
Whatever the outcome ends up being—even if it's the worst-case scenario—you’ll deal with it and handle the situation.
Just stay strong.

Angela Wright said:Don't spiral just yet. We have to wait for the pathology report to get the real story, because right now, nobody actually knows anything. The doctor wants to pull out whatever looks suspicious, but that isn't an automatic death sentence...
Whatever the outcome ends up being, even if it's the worst-case scenario, you'll deal with it and find a way through.
Just stay strong.

I've got the procedure scheduled for Friday, so I'll update everyone on the results and what happens next, though I was pretty blindsided today when the doctor mentioned he'll likely need to remove a few more moles just to be safe...😢But I'll manage, I guess...🤷Thanks for the support.🙂

So, I did a little digging and reached out to our oncologist, Dr. Miller, over on the Daily Health Forum to get some clarity, and she broke it down for me:

The skin is essentially made up of several distinct layers—the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue. Within the epidermis, you have squamous epithelial cells; tumors originating from the surface layer of these cells are known as squamous cell carcinomas, while those coming from the basal layer are called basal cell carcinomas. Moving deeper into the dermis, you'll find various structures like hair follicles, sebaceous and sweat glands, and the melanocytes that provide skin pigment. Tumors can arise from any of these cell types, though tumors originating in the glands are classified as adenocarcinomas, while those from melanocytes are melanomas. Finally, the subcutaneous tissue houses blood vessels, nerves, fat cells, and muscle tissue; tumors developing from these structures are referred to as sarcomas.
Skin cancers aren't actually all that rare. It’s just that squamous and basal cell carcinomas don't get much press because they are relatively easy to treat. These two typically show up in areas frequently exposed to the sun—think farmers, sailors, or people with similar outdoor professions—or in spots subject to chronic irritation. Surgery is usually the go-to treatment, and these specific types rarely, if ever, metastasize, though they can be locally aggressive if a patient waits too long to see a doctor.
Melanoma, however, is a completely different beast. It’s highly malignant and has a very high tendency to spread through the lymph nodes or the bloodstream. That said, if it's caught early and surgically removed (specifically when the tumor is thinner than 1 mm), the cure rate is actually higher than 95%.

Angela Wright said:So, I went ahead and picked the brain of our oncologist, Dr. Miller, over on the CNN message boards, and she gave me some clarity:

My sister told me the exact same thing—that there's a 90% chance of a full recovery once the procedure is done, so I'm just holding onto that hope...😢🤷Thanks, Taylor Swift...🙂

Hi everyone!

I recently had two moles removed after they were diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma, and now I’m looking at having follow-up appointments with a surgeon every three months.
Has anyone else gone through something similar? I'm curious—if the removal wasn't quite thorough enough, how long does it typically take for a tumor to resurface?

So, I figured I’d share my experience here in case anyone else ends up searching for info online.

It all started maybe two or three years ago—honestly, I can't even keep track anymore. This weird, pinkish-red patch appeared on my lower back, right near the waistband of my pants. It was just this irregular little shape, sort of a messy circle. When I asked my doctor if I should be worried, she basically brushed it off, saying it was just skin irritation from wearing tight clothes. Yeah, right.

Fast forward about two years later... I started Googling my symptoms last summer. You know how it goes—summer hits, heatwaves happen, and then you see all those news reports about melanoma. It’s that classic spiral where you're convinced you're dying of cancer. Naturally, that sent me straight to calling my doctor to demand a referral to a dermatologist. The spot wasn't really healing, though it hadn't changed shape much either, and honestly, I wasn't even sure about the color. It's on my back, so I don't stare at it every single day. The only thing I noticed was that when my skin got dry, it would kind of flake off.

I eventually went to a specialist at the hospital for a real exam, and their first thought was Bowen. If you look up my symptoms on Google, it describes stage one skin cancer perfectly. So, they sent me in for surgery—an excision—to general surgery. I had the procedure done, and the pathology report came back confirming it was basal cell carcinoma. On the bright side, they managed to get it all out during the surgery. The bad part? It could come back whenever, anywhere. Now I have to deal with regular annual checkups, self-exams, and slathering on SPF 50 constantly to hopefully catch anything early if it ever returns.

So... yeah. I could have waited years. There weren't any other symptoms, so nothing really "happened" for a long time. Honestly, working from home during the pandemic actually sped things up for me; I ended up getting a ton of routine checkups done, including this one.

Just like how the news is always hammering on about breast self-exams, I’m telling you guys: please, check your breasts, your skin, your neck, your face... just stay on top of it.

Chloe Alvarez said:... so that's why I recommend you all check your breasts, skin growths, neck, and face.

I couldn't agree with you more, 👍
If I could add one crucial detail, it would be this: everyone needs to take their destiny into their own hands. If there is any way to do so, don't just leave everything up to the healthcare system.

Here is what happened to me a few years back. A tiny growth, maybe just a few millimeters wide, appeared on my nose—something resembling a little scab. I went to see my primary doctor, who gave me a referral, and then I tried calling at least ten different dermatology clinics here in Canada where I live. But since the healthcare system in Canada is such a total mess, nobody ever actually picks up the phone. After several days and hundreds of failed calls, I decided to just call a private clinic instead. While Googling, I settled on perhaps the most well-known dermatologist in Canada. I was able to book an appointment immediately, they offered plenty of available slots, and I only had to wait about 10 to 15 days; they even gave me a polite courtesy call a couple of days before the appointment just to make sure I was still coming or to reschedule if needed. It wasn't anything major, I think it was some kind of keratosis, and the doctor basically just treated it with liquid nitrogen and called it a day. The cost was peanuts, maybe 40 or 50 dollars, I don't recall exactly.

Now, there is a small detail to consider; when I first walked into the doctor's office, he started by apologizing because he had to take an urgent phone call. He was speaking to a dermatology clinic in Ljubljana, and from what I gathered, he was telling them they had a patient with obvious early-stage melanoma that was right on the edge of metastasizing. He was pleading with them to get that patient admitted to the ward as soon as humanly possible, maybe even tomorrow. He was 100% certain it was melanoma, and we are talking about a person's life here. Yet, the woman's voice on the other end brushed him off like he was some random nobody asking for a favor. That poor soul was scheduled for an appointment twenty days out.

So, my advice is this: if you can avoid relying on referrals and the public health system, do it. Take control of the situation yourself and don't hesitate to spend a $33 or a few dozen dollars on a private dermatology exam. In the long run, isn't it certainly going to be cheaper that way?

Hello everyone,
I was wondering if anyone here has experience dealing with squamous cell carcinoma, specifically regarding a recent diagnosis my mother received.
She’s scheduled for surgery next week at a local hospital to have a lesion on her scalp removed. According to the biopsy report, they took a sample from a whitish area where no distinct focal lesions were visible. The histology shows a thickened epidermis, while the underlying dermis contains clusters of tumor tissue consisting of solid nests of atypical, well-differentiated squamous epithelial cells with present keratinization.

I understand that we won't know the full extent of the involvement until after the surgical excision and further analysis of the tissue, but I would appreciate it if someone could help me make sense of these results.

Thanks,