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busynesswithme`
New User
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:39 am Post subject: recently diagnosed - what do i do now? |
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i was diagnosed with a .35 mm melanoma in june 09. they sent me back for an excision that was a centimeter on each side of the thing. they did not check my nodes. is this ok, or should i insist? also, i am supposed to track changes to moles from here on in, however, i have about as many as there are stars in the sky. any ideas for how to keep a watch on them all?
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diagnosed melanoma carcinoma .35 mm june 2009
cleared with no sign of metastasize
rather large and sensitive scar |
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brainman
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 5617
Location: Tennessee
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HaoleBoy
Senior User
Joined: 19 Aug 2008
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:00 pm Post subject: Re: recently diagnosed - what do i do now? |
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First, congratulations on catching this melanoma so early on when it was thin.... You should have an excellent prognosis with this thin melanoma (wish mine was that thin, but it was an intermediate melanoma at 2.40mm thick !)...
In regard to whether or not you should have your regional lymph nodes checked, at .35MM Breslow thickness, a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy would not be warranted. In U.S. National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, they usually perform sentinel node biopsies on melanomas that are .75mm to 1.0 mm thick or greater....
The chance that your melanoma spread to the lymph nodes is very very small ..... You should have an excellent prognosis.... Your primary tumor was not ulcerated was it ? Even if it was, at that shallow depth, your prognosis is still very good... wish I was in your boat at the moment....
I can't really help you on the moles since I managed to get melanoma out of a clear skin and don't have very many (nor do I have alot of sun damaged skin despite living in Hawaii -- go figure)... You may want to invest in a very good digital camera and photo-map your moles... if one starts to change (forget about the ABCDs... if change is present), go to a derm ASAP for professional medical support....
Regards, Hawaii Bob
Regards, Hawaii Bob |
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busynesswithme`
New User
Joined: 28 Oct 2009
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:46 pm Post subject: thanks |
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and really sorry to hear yours is so thick, has it spread? also, what does it mean when you say "ulcerated"? because i don't remember them saying anything about that. does that mean it is concaved in some way?
_________________
diagnosed melanoma carcinoma .35 mm june 2009
cleared with no sign of metastasize
rather large and sensitive scar |
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HaoleBoy
Senior User
Joined: 19 Aug 2008
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:32 pm Post subject: Re: recently diagnosed - what do i do now? |
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No, mine hasn't spread.... I had a negative Sentinel Node Biopsy and no recurrence so far so I'm going on 15 months No Evidence of Disease ( NED)... I'm Stage IIA, which is the category for melanomas which range 2 - 4mm thick, non-ulcerated ... or 1-2mm thick with ulceration... Mel is supposedly curable at Stages IA, IB, and IIA...The difference between these stages (all of them are localized melanoma) is that the recurrence and subsequent death risk is higher at successive Stages from IA, IB, IIA, IIB, and IIC...
Ulceration refers to when the tumor has displaced the outer epidermal layer of skin as in rupturing it, vice the skin still being intact over the tumor... For reasons currently unknown, ulcerated melanomas tend to be more aggressive and ulceration is an independent risk factor insofar as individual tumor characteristics are concerned.
If your tumor was ulcerated, it would be on the biopsy pathology report since this is one of the significant findings to be determined by pathology, along with depth, mitotic rate, Clark's level -- though the latter is on the way out and will no longer be used as a Staging criterion when the new staging guidelines for melanoma come out in 2010.
Best,
Haole Boy (aka Hawaii Bob on other forums) |
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