Winning the skin cancer race

BCC - Foot & Hand

These pics are of areas being treated at one week into treatment. The basel on the foot is being treated in traditional way, putting a blob, (small) of cream on area and bandaging, bid. As you can see, the area has inflamed quite a bit in one week. Is the dark area at the top ridge indicative of an area with more cancer cells, or just more reaction to urea/salicylic acid? I am putting the dot of cream in the center of red area, but I'm sure once I put the paper tape on it, (use that instead of micropore, my skin just hates the adhesives), it gets squished out further. On the area on the back of left hand, I'm putting a small amount of cream and just rubbing it into entire back of hand bid, the area that needs to be treated is too large to do the blob thing, (several small areas as well). It is reacting, but on a much smaller scale.

 

Opinions/questions on areas of treatment?? If the treatment works out well on the hand, I would like to do entire face with this product, but thought best to experiment on my hand first.

 

As far as using BEC5 for keratosis, any suggestions to how I can use it that won't cause so much reaction to surrounding skin in tender areas like bra line?

 

Thanks for assistance!

Comment:

If you have the diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma then Curaderm is your drug of choice. So keep on applying it. Initially the lesions will be red around the edges but this is normal for Curaderm and it may even sting a little too. You may also notice some increase in the amount of discharge but again this is normal with Curaderm. However all these soon disappear as more and more cancer cells die and normal healing begins to take place.

With regards to keratosis, sometimes these can be many so you may have to treat some first before continuing with the rest. Perhaps 3 or 4 at a time. Curaderm is also good for them.

Edward Tambisari.
 
                                  

                              
  

BCC - Face & Arm

I have been using BEC5 for about 2 months now.
I started out with 1 BC on my face and 1 on my left arm.
You told me I should start treating the others that I thought were BC which
I did.
I thought there were 2 more: one on my right arm and one on my forearm.
What has happened is, the one on my left arm during the weeping and bleeding
stage, leaked blood and fluid which had BEC5 cream in it and start 2 new
areas (red) so now the one on my left arm has 3 in different stages and I am
having trouble containing them.
There is the original one, which leaked fluid below and to the side and
these 2 new ones seem to be spreading. They are leaking and I have been
trying to contain them by putting the micro pore bandaging around them:
underneath and to the sides, then apply the BEC5 cream and then cover that
up nice so it won't leak but I guess the BEC5 cream is spreading under my
skin so now I am getting new little red spots when I lift the micropore up.
What can I do to stop the spreading?

I had the same thing happen on my right arm.
Started with one BC and it wept blood and BEC5 which started 2 more areas I
have to treat. The original one my right arm, seemed to heal first, so we
started putting the oil on it and then it had a bump, which you told me, we
needed to continue to apply BEC5 cream too, we ended too soon, so I have
been putting the cream on all 3 on my right arm but now the original I think
is finished. I would apply the cream and the one beneath wept so much, it's
liquid would rise up to the original one above. They are very close
together. My problem here is, how can I separate and apply the oil to the
one above, while the one below which is very close still needs the BEC5
cream? I am bandaging these three the same as on my left arm: put micropore
on the sides and below the BC's, clean the BC's, apply BEC5, then cover them
with micropore very well, so if they weep, the fluid is contained.

I have 3 on my face:
The original is healing very nicely and just has a couple of small openings,
which I think, it will soon be ready for the oil.
The one on my right cheek, is healing nicely and I had one new one, crop up
a week or so ago, so started treating it and it is just going into the
weeping stage. I am bandaging it up pretty well so it won't spread like the
ones on my arms.

I wish someone would have told me, there was the possibility of this
spreading do to the BEC5 cream being active in the weeping stage.
You need to put some literature on how to bandage the BC up so it will
contain the liquid it emits.

Any help you can give me regarding the situation I find myself in with my
left arm, which is the spreading: small little red bumps under the micropore
on the area below and to the side of the 3 BC's I am treating on my left arm

Comment:

If the lesions are weeping then it is an indication that the Curaderm is working and that cancer cells are dying which is what we want. However since they are giving you so much problem, I may suggest that we break a rule. We have been advising people to cover their lesions with micropore this is just so that all the cream is absorbed by the lesion which would not have been so if we used some gauze. However in this case I think that we should use some gauze this time just to stop them tracking down and creating more lesions. But it will also mean that we now have to increase the number of times we apply the cream in one day. ie 3 to 4 times per day.

Just another small explanation. Cancer as you know is like an iceberg. What is seen by the naked eye is just a small fraction of what is under the skin. So the new lesions, especially those appearing close together, are in fact part of the same lesion but the reason why they are breaking out is that the discharge has to come out somewhere hence the new openings. The discharge also is due to the fact that cancer cells are dying and breaking down so this is really dead cells coming out.

Edward Tambisari.

BCC - Nose

> > I hope you remember the BCC case on my nose treated with BEC5. You were very
> kind to look at the photos I emailed back in August and kindly responded on Sept
> 4th. Since then the original lesion, treated since July 13, on the left side of
> my nose ALMOST closed in by the beginning of October with some small unclosed
> leftovers on the bottom & top of the original lesion. Those two small leftovers
> started two NEW ADJACENT lesions: one on the left side and the second one on the
> right side of my nose. Please note that the new skin between the two new lesions
> (nose bridge) is where the 1st original lesion was located (please see attached
> photo 'bccNov18.jpg' taken recently on Nov 18). Every 6-7 hours I keep applying
> BCC5 to both (they are still oozing) and cover them with micropore (I'm on a 4th
> BEC5 bottle since July 13). The new lesions keep getting bigger and bigger.
> Which brings me to the following questions:
> >
> > 1. Did BEC5 find 2 new cancerous regions connected to the original treated
> lesion after about 12 weeks of treatment of the original lesion that almost
> closed? Is it typical / standard development? Could this be some other skin
> reaction to Curaderm?
> > 2. Is it best to continue repeating the BEC5 treatment as often as possible?
> If so, doesn't the frequent washing with mild Ivory soap, and drying, slow down
> the formation of delicate new skin growth?
> > 3. I take a number of vitamins, herbs, minerals, enzymes, etc. on a daily
> basis. Should any supplements be avoided? Any foods to avoid?
> > 4. I drink a few strong coffees a day. Since coffee contains oxalic acid that
> is known as being caustic and corrosive to the skin and mucous membranes could
> this somehow be slowing down the new skin growth?

Comment:

I think that there must have been two small channels from the old
> lesion to these new sites and that these two sites were growing under
> the skin unseen from the out side. The two lesions were already quite
> large but it took a long time for the Curaderm to track through to
> them. The lesions are getting larger because the cancer cells are
> breaking down revealing the true size of the lesions but they should
> start to decrease in size once the cancer cells are gone.
>
> The lesions will not close while cancer cells are still present so my
> suggestion is that you continue with the Curaderm until the cancer
> cells are all gone and the lesions are closed over. I apologize for
> the long time it is taking for all the lesions to be healed but I also
> think that it is important that we persist with the treatment. If your
> general health is good and you are not on anything that could suppress
> your immune system then I think that we should not be too concerned at
> this stage.
>
> I do not think that it is some kind of a reaction to Curaderm but with
> regards to frequent washings perhaps we should stay with 3 dressings
> per day and see how we go.
>
> Vitamins and coffee should not have any adverse effect on the healing
> process, in fact, some vitamins may even enhance healing.
>
> Dr. Edward Tambisari.

BCC - Leg

I am still treating a spot I had on my leg.  It had healed over brown about the size alittle smaller than a dime.  No change the 1st few days then it started eating in.  It is very red, and it is painful with the application of the Cumaderm, but then it goes away.  I apply in the am, then again throughout the day then evening, then wash and cover with a band aid for bed.  In the am it has seaped fluid through the band aid making a visible mark on it.  I wash it again and start over.  It is slightly red around the area about 1 inch around.  i took some pictures.  Please let me know what to do. 

Response:

Curaderm will cause redness and will also be painful on application but as you say the pain soon disappears. As is also normal with Curaderm treatment, the diameter of the lesion will increase. This is because the cancer cells are breaking down as is also noted by the discharge you mentioned.

To cover the lesion it is better to use micropore instead of a band aid.

My suggestion would be that you continue to apply Curaderm at least twice a day.

Edward Tambisari.

BCC - Inner arm

I've used Curaderm before, but this turned out a little different. Here is a sequence of pics as the treatment progressed. I applied the cream 2X until the skin healed and as I said, there is a lump under the skin.

Response:

Thank you for the pictures. Now that I have the series, I wish to suggest that we do the Curaderm and perhaps the Tamanu oil on the surrounding skin. This is because I think that the skin may have closed prematurely and that there are still some cancer cells inside. So just apply the cream on the lump and not the surrounding skin. I hope that the cream will re penetrate the lesion and get in to continue killing the cancer cells.

Edward Tambisari.

BCC - Hand

    I am attaching hereto 6 photos which were taken yesterday. Please take note of the fact that all open lesions have been kept under continuous twice daily treatment until completely covered with new skin.  My comments on these photos are as follows.

    IMG 1437

    As you can clearly see the whole of the back of the hand has had a series of lesions, appearing one by one over a period of 5 months.

It does now, at last, look as if the treatment may be ended quite soon.

    IMG 1438

    These two large and deep lesions above the wrist have been under treatment for over two months.  They are now getting smaller.

    IMG 1439

    This circle of lesions emerged around the edge of a patch of lesions which eventually closed up and which do now appear to have been healed.

    IMG 1440

    These lesions are on the side of the forearm, not on the top, largely protected, in that position, from direct  sunlight so their eruption did rather surprise me.  The lesion on the left is 3 cm. long.

    IMG 1441

    This picture is to show what a large area of hand and forearm has been under treatment at some time over the last 5 or 6 months.  The scar left by the surgery I was persuaded to undergo in April 2005 runs right through the middle of the group of lesions on the extreme left of the picture.

    IMG 1442

    This is a close-up of the group of lesions on the side of the arm which is shown in IMG 1440.  These lesions are quite shallow, when compared with those in  IMG 1438, but seem to be particularly slow to heal.  They are quite sore with some swelling still present after more than 2 months of treatment.

 

    I do hope that these pictures will enable you to comment in some detail on the progress of the treatment and to forecast how much longer you think it will take to complete it and how many more bottles of the cream may be required.  As I have told you already there is no doctor here who is in a position to give me advice so I often feel very frustrated and worried about progress.

Some comments:

Thank you for the photos. I have looked at them and wish to make the following comments. I am glad you have a lot of patience for our treatment schedule is rather demanding. Large and deep lesions may take a long time before they eventually heal so we have to be patient.

From the photos, it appears that almost the whole of the back of your hand was involved and you certainly have a large area at the lower end of your forearm and wrist. However the lesions at the back of your hand are looking good and they should be healed soon. How soon depends on a lot of factors but the most important ones are that you are in good general health and ensuring that your immune system is not compromised in any way.

If you wish to enhance the rate of recovery perhaps you should increase the number of times you are applying the cream per day ie 3 to 4 times a day instead of just twice a day. I know it will consume more cream but we may decrease the length of time they take to heal.

I encourage you to continue for in the end you will beat the disease.

  Edward Tambisari.

BCC - Face

Here are our comments:

 

1.  This is our 3rd week in applying Curaderm 3 times a day.  And our 6th bottle.

 

2.  We are concerned about the "solid" mound or ridge that runs around the top of the lesion and one hard spot on the ridge (towards the nose).  Sometimes it feels like a boil or carbuncle -- it gets quite inflamed.  We have been applying Curaderm under the ridge and it appears to be slowly chewing into it.

 

3. The proud flesh has disappeared form the top of the lesion which is good news.

 

4.  The bottom of the lesion is beginning to heal over.

 

5.  There is still a small amount of liquid coming from the lesion.

 

6.  At the top of the lesion, towards the ear, there is a "core", a small round area, where the Curaderm becomes quite "hard" which is difficult to remove.  It is quite deep in that area.

Answer:

Thank you for your mail. I have looked at your photo and I think that over-all, the lesion is gradually healing. The ridge you mentioned and the core, I think that we should not be too concerned about them now as I know that as healing continues the base will become shallower and eventually become flushed with the skin surface. This is when normal skin should grow and cover the whole site.

The fact that there is still some discharge means that there are still cancer cells around and I think that it will take some time yet before the whole lesion is healed as I note that there is still some induration in the surrounding area and it probably feels quite firm.

So I suggest that we continue with Curaderm and I apologize for the length of time the lesion is taking to heal. I remember you from earlier on and at that time the whole area was inflamed so it was quite a huge and deep lesion. Anyway I am glad that the lesion is now getting smaller and the inflammation has gone but as with all large and deep lesions, they take a longer time to heal. 

Edward Tambisari.

Inner arm lesion

The area was treated and the skin grew back, however it appears to be a little raised and a"lump"(smallhard mass) under the skin. Is this O'K? or the Curaderm did not remove everything?

Answer:

Thank you for your mail. I have looked at your photo and it appears that the skin has completely covered the lesion so hence there is no opening. In this situation I think that we should leave this alone in the meantime and perhaps apply Tamanu oil to improve the skin condition and healing but if it opens up again, to go right back to applying Curaderm again.

The lump could be scar tissue under the skin or it could be residual cancer. So if it is scar tissue ignore it but if it is cancer then it will break open again and that is when you go back to Curaderm.

Dr. Edward Tambisari.

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Angiomas

Will Curaderm treat an ANGIOMA on the nose ??? Please reply

Answer:

Thank you for your interest. Curaderm-BEC5 is specific for basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, keratosis and keratoacanthosis. Angioma on the other hand is a benign tumor which is made up of many tiny blood vessels and can occur anywhere on the body. So it is really not a cancer as such and this being the case, Curaderm will not really help. However if you wish to try it you may do so as I do not think it will do any great harm but in terms of cure, I am not sure. If you do wish to try it I just wish to warn you that Curaderm does have some  small local side effects and these include a local skin reaction which shows up as redness around the lesion and there may be some pain or stinging sensation which will last for a few minutes after application.

I really do not recommend the use of Curaderm for the treatment of Angiomas.

Dr. Edward Tambisari