Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Suggest Treatment For Skin Cancer
Question: Yes My 92 year old mother has had unsuccessful surgery on her nose for and outward growing cancer, with skin graft, unsuccessful because then two rare cancers appeared. We did lazzer treatments, she now has a large open bleeding crusting sore on her nose. She is grown numbers of tumors around this unsucesscull surgery including under her chin. What can we do they will do no Chemo, age. She is now deaf almost totally and blind in one eye and the other is being blocked by one of the tumor, they say all her vitals are good and only prescribe pain pills, antibiotics for infections and cream. WHAT CAN WE DO.
Brief Answer:
Check out for Radiotherapy...
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for posting the query; I'll try my best to help you out with this query.
I'm really sorry for the physical and mental trauma your mother is undergoing. Older adults are usually at higher risk than younger adults for developing skin lesions from cumulative risk exposure and immunosenescence. Keeping in mind the age and number of surgeries she has undergone, the therapeutic modalities gets narrowed.
Chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy will cause more harm than good to your mother. So the last option left is Radiotherapy.
Radiation therapy may be used after surgery (adjuvant therapy) when cancer cells are found in the margin of tissue removed with the tumour and for tumours that grow around nerves (perineural invasion) or involve several nerves. External beam radiation therapy is the one which is commonly used. Apart from this, vismodegib (GDC-0449, Genentech), an investigational, oral medicine designed to selectively inhibit signaling in the Hedgehog pathway, which is implicated in more than 90 percent of BCC cases can be tried after discussing with your doctors.
Hope I have answered your queries; I'll be available for the follow-up queries.
Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon
Check out for Radiotherapy...
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for posting the query; I'll try my best to help you out with this query.
I'm really sorry for the physical and mental trauma your mother is undergoing. Older adults are usually at higher risk than younger adults for developing skin lesions from cumulative risk exposure and immunosenescence. Keeping in mind the age and number of surgeries she has undergone, the therapeutic modalities gets narrowed.
Chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy will cause more harm than good to your mother. So the last option left is Radiotherapy.
Radiation therapy may be used after surgery (adjuvant therapy) when cancer cells are found in the margin of tissue removed with the tumour and for tumours that grow around nerves (perineural invasion) or involve several nerves. External beam radiation therapy is the one which is commonly used. Apart from this, vismodegib (GDC-0449, Genentech), an investigational, oral medicine designed to selectively inhibit signaling in the Hedgehog pathway, which is implicated in more than 90 percent of BCC cases can be tried after discussing with your doctors.
Hope I have answered your queries; I'll be available for the follow-up queries.
Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon
Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty
Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist
Practicing since :2001
Answered : 2543 Questions
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
