After Aldara Treatment

i have a really bad case of this type od cancer.It covers both arms and a lot of areas on my legs. I have had 8 surgeries done, but due too such a large area all over arms and legs i dont know what too do anymore The dr. gave me aldara and it made one place so bad and scarred i will never use it again. I felt sick a lot also. I have also used the chemo cream but it gets all over my body and is extremely painful. I would say that the red patch on your cheek will probably not go away but hopefully it will. Has anyone ever sc all over there body and if so what procedure did your dr. follow. Does anyone know of any experiment trials going on? I never thought i would get anything like this because i have dark hair and skin that rarekt burns,

It's my understanding that Aldara should be used for 6 -12 weeks. If the red spot is still growing you should definitely get that checked out. One issue with topical treatments is that you can't be sure the cancer is actually gone. I'd suggest getting a 2nd opinion at this point and definitely get proactive about this. If you ever have to have surgery, make sure you use a MOHS practitioner.

 

P.S. I've been using Aldara for about a month and it has made the AKs on my face burn, itch, and ooze. Apparently this is normal and good, but it's been pretty brutal.

SCC cases are usually delt with by surgical excision and Mohs (mapping surgical technique sparring healthy tissue) surgery being the best 5 year data available.  Aldara has been used "off label" for this indication with success and each dermatologist may have a different approach.  Some will dose Aldara 3x weekly (M,W,F) for one month while many will go aggressive and use daily for 2-4 weeks or until area is crusting or scabbing.  The goal with the drug is to reach the immune system which triggers an immune response resulting in T-cells and cytokines activated to the disease site.  It looks uglier than it feels, but to have your immune system address the cancer and possibly clear it is the ideal way - IF surgery is not 1st choice.  Talk to more than one dermatologist.

ALDARA is just for treating actinic keratosis (AK's) and superficial BBC's, that I know of.

 

I would certainly be getting a 2nd opinion.

 

Especially if you have had it biopsied and it has come back as a SCC!

I have used Aldara twice for Squamous Cell Carcinoma - the early form that they called "Bowen's Disease".  Once for my forehead, and once for my nose.  Both times the medicine was successful.  I had some scabbing & bleeding during treatment, but that eventually went away and the skin was healthier than it was in my 20s.  Over the course of the treatment, different red spots came and went.  My doctor said that was normal.

 

After 12 weeks, my doctor biopsied the healthy looking skin just to be sure, and it was indeed cancer-free.

 

Good luck to you.