I just noticed two typos in my previous just posted post. I will proofread more completely next time. At least that's my hope.

When in doubt, just quote Paul Simon's song: I can call you Betty, and Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al.

Paolo wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 2:17 pm When in doubt, just quote Paul Simon's song: I can call you Betty, and Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al.

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al (from The Concert in Hyde Park)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS-sE9x ... lSimonVEVO

Paolo wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 2:17 pm When in doubt, just quote Paul Simon's song: I can call you Betty, and Betty, when you

Valery_V (imported) wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 6:26 pm call me, you can call me Al.

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al (from The Concert in Hyde Park)

https://www.youtube.com/wa

tch?v=PS-sE9xCb-g&ab_channel=PaulSimonVEVO

This (transgender) woman is ignorant of a large body of pop, rock, country, etc. music. So I will humbly admit that I never heard of "You can call me AL... ." But I found myself really enjoying Paul Simon's Hyde Park performance of the song. Way cool for this 70-year-old! I have always liked the music of Simon & Garfunkel and much of Simon's solo works.

I'm heavily into classical music, jazz, 20th-century music, and contemporary chamber and orchestral works. More on that in a later post.

Danya (imported) wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 8:05 pm

Danya (imported) wrote: Sat Jun 25, 2022 2:06 pm [quote="Danya (imported)" time=163[quote="Danya (imported)" time=

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Danya (imported) wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2016 2:00 pm

Danya (i [/quote] mported) wrote:Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:37 am [quote="Danya (i

mported)" tim

e=1275040680]
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My husband (H) finished his initial chemo and radiation therapy treatments several weeks ago. He's slowly regaining his strength. In another three weeks, he'll have a CT scan of his upper left lung to determine how effective his treatment was at destroying the large tumor there. Assuming the treatments eradicated the tumor, it will be time for radiation therapy of his brain. Lung cancer has an affinity for brain cells.

The clinic is also talking about doing a clinical trial of an immunotherapy agent.

Hopefully your husband's results will be good ones!

I have to admit to very mixed feelings about immunotherapies - my GF got nodular melanoma, and the first immunotherapy they put her on (Keytruda (SP?)) caused her immune system to attack her optic nerves, not the cancer. As a result she is now legally blind... However they then put her on a different immunotherapy that was based on injecting a modified herpes virus directly into the tumors, and that worked wonderfully, she's going on a year w/o the cancer coming back...

There is also an Israeli outfit called Novocure, that has developed some new technology that uses 'electrical fields' on certain cancer types, including at least one sort of brain cancer. The description sounds a little hokey, but they've gotten some FDA approvals and are in various stages of testing for more different cancers... Might be worth looking into. (Full disclosure, I own a little of the stock in my IRA, which is how I know of it...)

WheelyCurious

WheelyCurious wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 5:46 pm Hopefully your husband's results will be good ones!

I have to admit to very mixed feelings about immunotherapies - my GF got nodular melanoma, and the first immunotherapy they put her on (Keytruda (SP?)) caused her immune system to attack her optic nerves, not the cancer. As a result she is now legally blind... However they then put her on a different immunotherapy that was based on injecting a modified herpes virus directly into the tumors, and that worked wonderfully, she's going on a year w/o the cancer coming back...

There is also an Israeli outfit called Novocure, that has developed some new technology that uses 'electrical fields' on certain cancer types, including at least one sort of brain cancer. The description sounds a little hokey, but they've gotten some FDA approvals and are in various stages of testing for more different cancers... Might be worth looking into. (Full disclosure, I own a little of the stock in my IRA, which is how I know of it...)

WheelyCurious

Thanks, WheelyCurious for your helpful post. I knew from an earlier post of yours, your GF had an extremely bad initial experience with immunotherapy. But I don't think you mentioned the later treatment with the modified herpes simplex virus. These latest developments in treating cancer amaze this old-timer.

I appreciate the information on the work coming out of Israel. I don't at all mind that you have an investment there.

Within the last week, I've been given the diagnosis of nonmelanoma skin cancer on the very top of my left ear. This means it's likely easily treatable, although it may involve removing only a small (I hope) part of my ear.

I'm not at all happy that the soonest dermatologist appointment I could get in my usual clinic is four months from now. Over the years I've learned that rather than sitting around and getting depressed about something the best solution is to take action.

I will go to a rival clinic's (the one that's treated my husband's cancer) Urgent Care to 'get a second opinion.' They will be able to refer me to the same cancer clinic that treated my husband or, at the very least, another dermatologist. My hope is that the rival clinic or dermatologist will be able to see me in less than four months.

Danya (imported) wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 8:10 pm Within the last week, I've been given the diagnosis of nonmelanoma skin cancer on the very top of my left ear. This means it's likely easily treatable, although it may involve removing only a small (I hope) part of my ear.

I'm not at all happy that the soonest dermatologist appointment I could get in my usual clinic is four months from now. Over the years I've learned that rather than sitting around and getting depressed about something the best solution is to take action.

I will go to a rival clinic's (the one that's treated my husband's cancer) Urgent Care to 'get a second opinion.' They will be able to refer me to the same cancer clinic that treated my husband or, at the very least, another dermatologist. My hope is that the rival clinic or dermatologist will be able to see me in less than four months.

If it's 'Basal Cell' skin cancer, which is what it sounds like from your description and the location (it usually shows up in places w/ higher than usual skin exposure, ears and nose are particularly common) it is not a big panic issue... Basal Cell is very slow growing and generally not very dangerous. I know a lot of folks that have had it, gotten treated and all said it wasn't a big deal... It is worth noting that normally it is something dealt with by a dermatologist, it isn't bad enough to 'rate' an oncologist.

Often they don't even do surgery to remove it, instead they freeze it with liquid nitrogen. My GF had a small patch of it in addition to her other cancer, and I was there when they treated it - several months after they first spotted it! The doctor had a sort of 'spray gun' gizmo that he spritzed the cancer with for a few seconds, waited a couple of minutes, and repeated... Time with the doc was maybe 20 minutes, most of which was explaining the procedure and doing the consent paperwork. Afterwards the cancer area just kind of dried up into a scab that fell off in a couple of weeks. The GF said it was uncomfortable but not particularly painful...

While it never hurts to get a second opinion, I'd suggest that if the faster clinic would cost you more out of pocket, that it probably isn't worth it....

WheelyCurious

WheelyCurious wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:58 am If it's 'Basal Cell' skin cancer, which is what it sounds like from your description and the location (it usually shows up in places w/ higher than usual skin exposure, ears and nose are particularly common) it is not a big panic issue... Basal Cell is very slow growing and generally not very dangerous. I know a lot of folks that have had it, gotten treated and all said it wasn't a big deal... It is worth noting that normally it is something dealt with by a dermatologist, it isn't bad enough to 'rate' an oncologist.

Hi WheelyCurious,

It's the "

WheelyCurious wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:58 am If it's 'Basal Cell' skin cancer

" that bothers me. Not that you wrote it, of course, but the Mayo Clinic website page on squamous cell cancer (url: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... c-20352480) states that this potentially more dangerous carcinoma frequently occurs on the ears and lips.

WheelyCurious wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:58 am Often they don't even do surgery to remove it, instead they freeze it with liquid nitrogen. My GF had a small patch of it in addition to her other cancer, and I was there when they treated it - several months after they first spotted it! The doctor had a sort of 'spray gun' gizmo that he spritzed the cancer with for a few seconds, waited a couple of minutes, and repeated... Time with the doc was maybe 20 minutes, most of which was explaining the procedure and doing the consent paperwork. Afterwards the cancer area just kind of dried up into a scab that fell off in a couple of weeks. The GF said it was uncomfortable but not particularly painful...

This treatment sounds terrific and much better than cutting out the skin cancer.

WheelyCurious wrote: Thu Oct 06, 2022 11:58 am While it never hurts to get a second opinion, I'd suggest that if the faster clinic would cost you more out of pocket, that it probably isn't worth it. .

. WheelyCurious

If both clinics determine that my skin cancer is basal cell, I agree. If the ‘second opinion' clinic determines squamous cell I would go with them if they’d get me to see a dermatologist much sooner.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Sounds like a reasonable plan... Given that the first clinic didn't seem terribly worried, I'd be inclined to think basal cell, but that''s just guessing on my part... (and I don't even play at being a Dr. on TV... )

As an intermediate thing, would it make any sense to call the first clinic and ask if they can be any more specific about their diagnosis than 'non-melanoma'. Perhaps ask specifically if they think it's basal cell, and if there is any chance of it being squamous instead?

WheelyCurious