POssible skin cancer - this can't be right, can it?

[PasstheTwiglets]

My dad has a weird thing on his nose and the GP said that there's a faint possibilty that it is skin cancer but not to worry because if it is then it's not life-threatening. He has to put some stuff on it to see if it heals and then go back in Augsut.

This just seems odd to me - surely all skin cancer is life-threatening if left untreated, yes? Why aren't they taking a biopsy of it? It all seems a bit too casual to me

may depend on age - my nan had a thing on her leg which was taken off.she was in her 70s though so it wasn't v fast growing.

Rodent ulcer aka basal cell carcinoma, quite common in older people, slow growing, can be removed locally.

I presume your father's GP must think it is likely NOT a BCC and will heal up?? A review in a month or 2 does not sound unreasonable, unless it were growing.

And sorry, didn't answer, most skin cancers are not life threatening. Melanoma is bad news, but is the rarest form.

Not if it's a rodent ulcer (basal cell carcinoma). Can't do links on this phone but a quick Google might be reassuring.

Cross posts with a few!

Thanks for that! The link you sent though, Dogwood, says that a biopsy would usually be done so I don't understand why one isn't!

My In laws are Australian, they are frequently popping to the doctor to get a little cancer removed (their words). It seems that there are types which can be treated quickly and under local anasthetic(sp??)

I think if you are worried mention your concerns to your dad and/or his GP.
It is impossible to advise on here, but I have in the past given somebody an antibiotic +/- steroid cream to see if a crusty lesion disappears. If it does, wonderful. If not, you've not lost anything with a BCC. Their 'common' name, Rodent Ulcer, comes from when people had these things for 10/20/30 years and they grew huge.
Also taking a biopsy from a nose, particularly tip of nose, can be quite disfiguring and your dad's Gp might have weighed pros and against cons and decided on watchful waiting in the first instance.
Like I said, if you have concerns, you'd need to tackle it in RL.
Hope it all settles nicely .

Thanks, Dogwood (and everyone else), you've been very helpful! Can#t talk to him about it as he will no doubt freak out (he's very 'head in the sand' about such things) but I will talk to my mum about it and get her to sort it out.

My Dad had a growth on his cheek - and like your Dad was told it was non-life threatening cancer. He had it removed and had to go back a couple of weeks after to get results of a biopsy too - which was all ok. That was almost a year ago and he is fine.

Er..the doctor is not saying the right thing. He is too casual. Only a biopsy can tell you what kind it is. The odds are that it is harmless.

I had a skin cancer on my nose. Not melanoma, not basal, but squamous, and yes, it can kill you.

My doctor most definitely interested in how long I'd had it - about 8 weeks. I had a biopsy and a result in 2 days. The biopsy was not disfiguring; I was referred to dermatologist on the spot, but the MOHs surgery 4 weeks later had the potential to be so; they cut and cut until there's no cancer, or nose, left.

Everything went well; as it turned out the dermatologist had scooped out all the cancer at the biopsy stage. I will still have to go for check ups as these cancers can and do come back.

What I suppose I'm saying is biopsy. Now.

my latest treatment for a BCC in Australia was just some cream to rub on it for a month and then it scabbed over and disappeared. much better than the surgery i had had for one previously.

jjgirl, how did they know it was a BCC, did they just go on sight?