Efudex for superficial basal cell carcinoma
Hi.
I’m currently 13 days in on a month long period of efudex cream treatment for a superficial basal cell carcinoma on my cheek.
I was wondering if anyone else on here has experienced or is aware of situations where the area hasn’t reacted by this time? The dermatology consultant advised me to use the cream once a day in the evening and I was expecting a reaction by now but other than it being slightly pinker there has been no change.
I am hoping that the cream will kick in soon as I’m worried that the bcc may possibly have grown a bit more since the biopsy a couple of months back and has maybe gone a bit too far for Efudix to be effective.
Appreciate that this isn’t as serious as other matters like melanoma but would be grateful for any thoughts/experience comments.
Thanks
I am on efudix for bowens disease it's a pre curser to cancer.i have been on.it almost 4 weeks my forehead has turned red with big scabs which keep falling of
Hi
, just checking in to see if you had more of a reaction as you continued your treatment? I hope it was successful. If you’re comfortable sharing, we’d love to hear an update. All my best, Julie (team member) Hi. Thanks for the message
There was no soreness or redness (of any real note) until around 3 weeks in using the Efudex cream. I went to my local dermatology dept a few days before that and was advised by a different consultant there to apply a lot more cream to the area and extend treatment for a further 2 weeks to 6 weeks (as they felt it strange for me to be advised to only apply once a day for a month for a superficial basal cell carcinoma).
The latter consultant also stated that I could apply the cream liberally without any risk as the skin would just take up all that it needed, despite my research (and the limited instructions provided) suggesting that only applying a small thin coating would be correct as it is a very powerful cream. It may have been coming at three weeks in anyway, but I got a lot more reaction after applying more cream to the area - lots more redness and scabbing, although I have found the process to be surprisingly pain-free, aside from when showering (using cooler water definitely helpful) and when it has been itchy and dry.
Now on the healing stage having stopped the cream 5 days ago and redness seems to be going away pretty well now although the central area is still a bit scabby and has a rust-like colour. Have found that Vaseline didn't work that well for me as it led to oozing of the central/main area but la roche-posay cicaplast b5 cream seems to be helping the healing process. Won't know for sometime if the cream has removed all or most of the bcc as the next appointment isn't scheduled for some time (4 months away which seems very long to me) but I'm a bit relieved that the cream did produce a reaction eventually and fingers crossed....
Apologies for the lengthy and at times graphic description of the bcc but hoping a detailed account of my experience may help others if like me they have been finding that there is a lack of detailed instructions for applying efudex on this type or any other type of skin cancer or pre cancer.
Thanksthanks for sharing your update! I’m sure others will also find it helpful. I’m glad you finally got a reaction, and I hope that you’ll receive good news at your follow-up. Best wishes, Julie (team member)
