Altenate treatment

[Rolf]

On Nov11, this year, I became aware of an infection in my left crotch. The side of my scrotum and the adjacent skin of my thigh were very red and exuding a yellowish very foulsmelling liquid. For the last three years I have been experimenting with an antimitotic mixture of Efudex and DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide), one to four ratio. So I brushed this mixture over the inflamed areas for fifteen minutes and then rinsed the areas by taking a shower. After the shower there was no more exudation and by the next day fading of the redness was noticeable. Now a week later the skin color is nearly back to normal. I should note that I had cleared a case of ringworm by a similar fifteen minute application of the mixture.

I have no financial interest in the mixture. It is not patentable. I tried. Without patent protection there is no incentive for any pharmacological entity to spend the millions of dollars on research and field trials needed to obtain FDA approval. Since the mixture by logic and experiment appears to be effective against any skin lesion caused by uncontrolled growth of cells the possible benefits are invaluable.

Now my question. Should I continue using this mixture instead of conventional treatments?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Efudex in the groin?  Are you daft?

By the way, I have my doubts that the original problem was fungal, since fungal infections don't yellowish fluid.

Dr. Rockoff

[Rolf]

Re reply: The Efudex was no problem because the mixture was applied for only fifteen minutes and then washed off. When I have used the mixture for keratoses on the backs of my hands I let it dry and ignore it until my next hand wash. The smaller (1 mm.) keratoses  usually wore away and were gone in a week or so and did not need a second application. The areas of skin that were covered with the mixture at the same time showed no reaction.

If  you doubt the original problem was fungal, can you suggest what it may have been?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Yes, irritation that led to oozing.

I repeat: using Efudex in the groin to remove "keratoses" is a bizarre notion.

Dr. Rockoff

[Rolf]

Doctor Rockoff,

Please read my post of 11/19 again. I said the keratoses were on the backs of my hands.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

True, but the original use was near the crotch, so when you said, "The Efudex was no problem because the mixture was applied for only fifteen minutes and then washed off," I assumed that you were talking about the same area.  Sorry.  Efudex works on sun keratoses (and better on the face than on the arm), and the ones on your arms may have been those or they may have been seborrjeic keratoses, which don't respond.

Dr. Rockoff

[Rolf]

Doctor Rockoff,

In your reply of 11/18 you reject a diagnosis of my problem as fungal, saying “ fungal infections don't exude yellowish fluid”. This behavior may be true in general, but in my case the skin was on my scrotum. Scrotum skin is different from other skin as I found out two years ago when I had a similar lesion and let the applied Efudex/DMSO mixture remain for several hours. An upper epithelial layer of skin peeled off in sheets and I was miserable for two weeks before the lesion healed and my problem gone. When the mixture is applied to other lesion-free skin areas and left for many hours there is no observable effect.

By leaving the applied Efudex/DMSO application on my scrotum for only fifteen minutes before taking a shower the lesion was cured with no damage to the scrotum skin.

Incidentally, I am very elderly and sedentary and can not think of any way to have caused irritation to my scrotum skin.

I would like to have a dialog about my experiences with this mixture of Efudex/DMSO, particularly in the area of skin cancers, but that would be beyond the scope of this medium.

Is not curing a lesion on the scrotum by one application of medication without side effects an improvement over conventional treatment and response?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I know nothing about the role of Efudex and DMSO in groin rashes.  I have nothing further to add.

Dr. Rockoff