A cancerous growth on a man’s back that went untreated for three years has been described as a “five-inch dragon horn.”
The manual laborer, who has not been identified, ignored the growth until it had reached a length of 5.5 inches (14 cm) and a width of 2.2 inches (5.8 cm) and was described as an “enormous cutaneous horn.”
Skin cancer awareness
The British Medical Journal (BMJ)reported on the extraordinary case saying “We report a rare case of an extremely large well-differentiated SCC (Squamous cell carcinoma) that was neglected by a patient living in a developed country with access to free healthcare.
“This highlights that despite current public skin cancer awareness and rigorous healthcare measures, cases like this can still arise and slip through the net.”
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer after melanoma and although it can be aggressive, it is not usually life-threatening.
Medics at the 50-year-old man’s local hospital were stunned to find that the cancer hadn’t spread to any other part of his body, according to British newspaper the Mirror.
Growth removed; skin graft taken
The BMJ reported that the man had no signs of overexposure to the sun, no family history of skin cancer and didn’t have a compromised immune system. He wasn’t taking any medication but was a smoker.
The tumor was removed under general anesthetic, and a skin graft was taken from his thigh to repair the hole left from the growth.
According to SkinCancer.org SCC is less common than basal cell carcinoma but the number of SCC cases in the U.S. is increasing with “115 cases being diagnosed every hour.”
Usually, SCC begins as a firm pink lump with a crusted surface. It can be tender to touch and bleeds easily with men being more at risk from developing this type of skin cancer, according to the Mirror.
To let this skin cancer get this big is unfathomable; I’m glad it didn’t spread! Please SHARE to help raise awareness.
