“you have to live your life as best you can,” says sutherland, seen here with his canine companion, buster.
cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cscc) differs from melanoma — a less common form of skin cancer
— in several ways. whereas melanoma affects melanocytes, cells located in the lower layer of the skin, cscc affects squamous cells, which are close to the surface of the skin.
“top oncologist says he sees better physical and psychological outcomes among patients who are involved in their own care.”
“typically, melanoma is a more aggressive type of cancer than squamous cell and is more likely to spread,” explains dr. mlynarek. “but when cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas spread, they are much more visible and tend to invade nearby structures, such as the ears, eyes and neck.” at this point, cancerous skin patches aren’t just thickened, dry, or itchy — they can be disfiguring, dangerous, and even deadly.
once cscc has spread locally, it can attack internal organs, such as the lungs, liver, and brain.
this is precisely what happened to sutherland. after his initial treatment in 2007, his cancer returned in 2009 and had spread to his lymph nodes, making it stage 3. today, sutherland has stage-4 cscc, as the cancer spread to his brain in 2017. “i’m now partially blind, unable to work, suffer from headaches and dizziness,” he says. “i’ve lost a lot of freedom because i can no longer drive.