Can a squamous cell carcinoma go away on its own? I have a squamous cell cancer.

It is not uncommon for a skin cancer to either enlarge or shrink at different time points. However, resolution of a skin cancer without some sort of treatment will not occur. If you're scheduled for Mohs you would be best served by moving forward with it. Skin cancers can be very locally destructive and usually require more extensive surgery and reconstruction the longer they have had to grow. On occasion they can appear to not grow on the surgery but continue to proliferate below the surface where you cannot see them. I hope this information is helpful.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon

After a biopsy, small skin cancers can sometimes appear to shrink as the biopsy wound heals. There is a tiny chance that the biopsy was deep enough to remove all of a small squamous cell carcinoma. However, in the vast majority of cases, there are remaining cancer cells in the shrinking biopsy scar. Squamous cell carcinoma can become dangerous if allowed to grow for too long. There is no good reason to take that chance. I would recommend following up with your Dermatologist to discuss treatment options.

There is a type of squamous cell carcinoma called a keratoacanthoma which can spontaneously regress but more than likely your cancer appears to be getting smaller because it was biopsied and the top was removed.  My patients ask me all the time if they really need to get their cancerous lesions removed because they look so much better and appear to have been treated by the biopsy.  Unfortunately, the biopsy only removes a small portion of the lesion and the remainder is still there.  Do have your skin cancer treated..it will continue to grow unchecked and can spread along nerves and cause much larger problems than it already is causing.  In very rare cases it can also be fatal if left untreated.  Please see a member of the American College of Mohs Surgery for your treatment. 

A subtype of squamous cell cancer is called Keratoacanthoma and this subtype can on occasion spontaneously regress . A skilled dermatologist should evaluate this . All squamous cell cancers should be treated. 

Skin cancers such as squamous cell carcinoma tend to require treatment and commonly do not spontaneously go away. The area may appear to have healed on the surface following the biopsy but a biopsy is not a treatment. It is just a sampling to confirm a diagnosis. If you have questions about this, its best to discuss with your Mohs surgeon to make sure you understand why it is important to have the lesion treated.

No, squamous cell cancer cannot "go away" on its own. What often happens is that the site where the biopsy was done is healing, and so it looks like the SCC has gone away. But underneath there are roots and levels that are not going to "go away". So, the only way to actually get rid of this properly is with a surgical procedure, like your suggested Mohs. "This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and cannot
be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."