Ulceration
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Ulceration

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Ulceration

  • Post
    • March 23, 2016 at 4:40 pm
    CCJ
    Participant

    Hi..,would someone mind explaining to me what exactly 'ulceration' is which you hear of often and is in the pathology reports. 

    Does it mean crusting on the surface of the mole? Or is it the skin has erupted on top of the mole?

    Thanks in advance 

    Carolyn 

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  • Replies
      • March 23, 2016 at 5:00 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      This is a pathological determination only.  Basically, if the epidermis is compromised, there is ulceration.  Official definition from a path site below.  This is not something that can be determined from just looking at a lesion, it has to be evaluated by a pathologist from a microscopic view.

      Ulceration: Ulceration is the sloughing of dead tissue. This can sometimes occur in the center of a melanoma lesion. The presence of ulceration is incorporated into the staging classification of a melanoma. Ulceration is thought to reflect rapid tumor growth, which leads to the death of cells in the center of the melanoma.

      • March 23, 2016 at 5:00 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      This is a pathological determination only.  Basically, if the epidermis is compromised, there is ulceration.  Official definition from a path site below.  This is not something that can be determined from just looking at a lesion, it has to be evaluated by a pathologist from a microscopic view.

      Ulceration: Ulceration is the sloughing of dead tissue. This can sometimes occur in the center of a melanoma lesion. The presence of ulceration is incorporated into the staging classification of a melanoma. Ulceration is thought to reflect rapid tumor growth, which leads to the death of cells in the center of the melanoma.

        • March 23, 2016 at 9:05 pm
        CCJ
        Participant

        Thank you very much Janner. That's a big help. Also thank you for the way you generously impart your words of knowledge, wisdom and experience to many people on this site. I've found many other comments you've said very helpful and it sounds like so many others have too so thank you for giving of your time and thoughts. 

        I've just got one other quick question that you can possibly answer…what exactly is  'primary' mole? I see you've mentioned before that you've had 3 primaries and I was just wondering what exactly that means? I'm still awaiting my husband's results of WLE. In the UK this seems to take a long time!

         

         

        • March 23, 2016 at 9:05 pm
        CCJ
        Participant

        Thank you very much Janner. That's a big help. Also thank you for the way you generously impart your words of knowledge, wisdom and experience to many people on this site. I've found many other comments you've said very helpful and it sounds like so many others have too so thank you for giving of your time and thoughts. 

        I've just got one other quick question that you can possibly answer…what exactly is  'primary' mole? I see you've mentioned before that you've had 3 primaries and I was just wondering what exactly that means? I'm still awaiting my husband's results of WLE. In the UK this seems to take a long time!

         

         

        • March 23, 2016 at 9:05 pm
        CCJ
        Participant

        Thank you very much Janner. That's a big help. Also thank you for the way you generously impart your words of knowledge, wisdom and experience to many people on this site. I've found many other comments you've said very helpful and it sounds like so many others have too so thank you for giving of your time and thoughts. 

        I've just got one other quick question that you can possibly answer…what exactly is  'primary' mole? I see you've mentioned before that you've had 3 primaries and I was just wondering what exactly that means? I'm still awaiting my husband's results of WLE. In the UK this seems to take a long time!

         

         

        • March 23, 2016 at 9:44 pm
        Janner
        Participant

        Primary means original instance.  So I've had 3 separate instances of melanoma but they are NOT related.  None of them are a recurrence of another one on my body.  They were 3 moles that independently mutated into melanoma.  Each has a depth and a stage.  Recurrences are when you have spread from a primary site to a secondary site – either skin or lymph nodes or organs.  To date, I have had a melanoma lesion/mole on each lower leg and one on my back.  Does this make sense?

        • March 23, 2016 at 9:44 pm
        Janner
        Participant

        Primary means original instance.  So I've had 3 separate instances of melanoma but they are NOT related.  None of them are a recurrence of another one on my body.  They were 3 moles that independently mutated into melanoma.  Each has a depth and a stage.  Recurrences are when you have spread from a primary site to a secondary site – either skin or lymph nodes or organs.  To date, I have had a melanoma lesion/mole on each lower leg and one on my back.  Does this make sense?

        • March 23, 2016 at 9:44 pm
        Janner
        Participant

        Primary means original instance.  So I've had 3 separate instances of melanoma but they are NOT related.  None of them are a recurrence of another one on my body.  They were 3 moles that independently mutated into melanoma.  Each has a depth and a stage.  Recurrences are when you have spread from a primary site to a secondary site – either skin or lymph nodes or organs.  To date, I have had a melanoma lesion/mole on each lower leg and one on my back.  Does this make sense?

        • March 23, 2016 at 11:41 pm
        CCJ
        Participant

        Perfect sense…thank you. You manage to explain clearly and easily what websites and other sources fail to do. 

        You're an asset and an encouragement to this forum. You're one of the success stories that many people here long to hear about. Thank you. 

        • March 23, 2016 at 11:41 pm
        CCJ
        Participant

        Perfect sense…thank you. You manage to explain clearly and easily what websites and other sources fail to do. 

        You're an asset and an encouragement to this forum. You're one of the success stories that many people here long to hear about. Thank you. 

        • March 23, 2016 at 11:41 pm
        CCJ
        Participant

        Perfect sense…thank you. You manage to explain clearly and easily what websites and other sources fail to do. 

        You're an asset and an encouragement to this forum. You're one of the success stories that many people here long to hear about. Thank you. 

      • March 23, 2016 at 5:00 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      This is a pathological determination only.  Basically, if the epidermis is compromised, there is ulceration.  Official definition from a path site below.  This is not something that can be determined from just looking at a lesion, it has to be evaluated by a pathologist from a microscopic view.

      Ulceration: Ulceration is the sloughing of dead tissue. This can sometimes occur in the center of a melanoma lesion. The presence of ulceration is incorporated into the staging classification of a melanoma. Ulceration is thought to reflect rapid tumor growth, which leads to the death of cells in the center of the melanoma.

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