MELANOMA

[jacob123]

Dear doctor.

@ 1st I would say god bless you for helping people,
my Question is my life is little depressing. I’m a father of 2 and I’m 32yrs old,
I was diagnosed with melanoma in situ on my right arm, which was a mole size of a pencil eraser I had the mole for 5 to 6 years,  and the last year or 2 it started having irregular borders, and went to dermatologist and did a shave biopsy and sent to lab got results melanoma in situ, well I was referred to oncologist @ John Wayne Cancer center, the doctor performed wide excision and was referred to the lab and lab results were after the surgery melanoma in situ <<> no negative malignancy or tumor was detected… well no lymph node test was performed.

My 2 questions are, since they did a shave biopsy, I mean that is not recommended correct ???? which would not give you accurate depth….
My other Question is, what else I can do what are my chances of survival and reoccurrence, it’s been a year and 1 month and im scared every day and worry worry all day it’s very stressful for me, I just don’t know what do expect, im seeing them every 3 months and I did go for 2 other dermatologist  and oncologist  back then and now im still worried,,,,

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

If this is the case, then this tells us that the lesion has been successfully removed. This also suggests that the lesion is highly localized and does not affect underlying or nearby tissues. Melanoma in situ offers a good outcome or prognosis. I would advise that you maintain close follow up with your physicians. Observe any enlarged nodes, any swelling or tenderness in any part of the body. For any suspicious looking moles or discolorations on the skin, then do not hesitate to have this assessed immediately by your doctor.

[jacob123]

thank u for your help once again doctor,

yes they told me the biopsy results after excising the mole, it says skin and sub-cut tissue, melanoma in situ, negative malignancy no residual melanoma was identified, again this is after the wide excision....

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

I understand your concern and that you are deeply worried about this. Were they able to give you the biopsy results after excising the mole? I would suggest that you discuss this with your doctor. If this is melanoma in situ, then there is a very good prognosis here. What you may likely have is "Superficial spreading melanoma which represents approximately 70% of all melanomas and is the most common type of cutaneous melanoma occurring in light-complicated people. It affects adults of all ages with the peak incidence in the 4th and 5th decade of life. SSM, not uncommonly, can arise in a pre-existing melanocytic nevus. The usual history is that of a slowly changing mole over 1-5 years.4 SSM most commonly affects intermittently sun-exposed areas with the greatest nevus density, such as the upper backs of men and women and lower legs of women. "

Source:http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/dermatology/melanoma/melanoma.htm

You may check the link above for further reading. Melanoma in situ is best managed through wide margin excision of the affected areas (which has been done in your case). You are being managed well here. Do not hesitate to ask your physician questions and do discuss with them your concerns. I understand that this may be easier said than done, but I would prefer you to be proactive about this and do maintain a positive attitude. A positive attitude will lead to faster and better healing.