Skin Cancer Pictures

A patient in his 50s with the genetic condition known as Gorlin syndrome had been treated for many basal cell carcinomas. During the COVID pandemic, he noticed a new bump on his upper lip. It didn’t seem serious to him, so, like many patients during that time, he did not see his dermatologist. When he finally did get checked, it was indeed a BCC and had grown deep enough to require several stages of Mohs surgery. The surgery eliminated the cancer but left the lower part of his face disfigured (top photo). Dr. Sarnoff’s business partner and husband, plastic surgeon Robert H. Gotkin, MD, was able to reconstruct the area with minimal scarring and an excellent cosmetic result (bottom photo, after healing).

Before being admitted to an assisted living facility, an elderly widow was required to have a thorough physical. The doctor (and her adult children who had not seen her undressed in years), were shocked to see a large, raised open wound on her left shoulder and back. For years, she had been covering it and hiding it under clothes. She didn’t want to rock the boat or make a fuss. The lesion (top photo) turned out to be a large SCC, the second most common type of skin cancer. The tumor required extensive surgery followed by radiation. The patient was extremely lucky: Her cancer was eliminated, and Dr. Sarnoff’s business partner and husband Robert H. Gotkin, MD, expertly closed the wound (bottom photo). Dr. Sarnoff strongly advocates robust treatment for elderly people with skin cancer. The earlier it is diagnosed, the less onerous the treatment, and it can make a huge difference in a person’s quality of life. 

The power of denial can be strong. This man believed the large, dark growth on his back was a boil, despite oozing and bleeding for months. He kept bandaging it and thought it was just slow to heal. When he was finally referred to Dr. Sarnoff, a biopsy and other tests revealed a melanoma so large and deep that it had already spread to the man’s liver and brain. He was referred to an oncologist and began an immunotherapy regimen that did not appear to be working, which happens with some patients. (Thanks to recent innovations, there may be other treatment options, including participation in a clinical trial.) This is a powerful reminder of the importance of early detection.