› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Standard Course of Treatment
- This topic has 9 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 9 months ago by
Janner.
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:14 pm
I had a 12mm spot on my back that was discovered during a routine physical exam and had it removed and biopsied by a reputable dermatologist. The results came back as positive for melanoma. I was assured it was caught early (it was .3mm deep). I requested the pathology report but have yet to receive it. The standard course of action was to excise the surrounding tissue (by a surgeon), which is scheduled for next week. He would then see me back again in three months.
After perusing this website and others I've read about melanoma specialists, internal melanomas without skin lesions, in situ melanomas that have metasticized to internal organs. So many questions arise. The main questions are: Am I following the correct treatment path? Not intending to disrespect the dermatology profession, but should I be seeing a cancer specialist? I'm not the type of person who likes to take a 'wait and see' approach. Maybe some type of body scan in order just to be sure?
I understand that my situation is not as dire as others in this forum, but I would appreciate the collective insight of people who have a lot more experience in the subject than I.
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:21 pm
This is pretty thin. Puts you at Stage IA. I think Janner and others would tell you this is a pretty low risk lesion, congratulations on catching it early. Be vigilant about your skin, monitor any changes, get frequent skin checks/exams, etc. . After wide excision, there probably isn't much else. This has a very good prognosis. You've come to a great place for information/discussion. Sorry you joined us, but the prognosis for this type of lesion is in the very high 90s, probably 97%, 98%, not 100% but still very good. I'm not a doctor, but this is what I gather from what I've learned. Not no risk, but low risk. Stay vigilant, but not paranoid.
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:21 pm
This is pretty thin. Puts you at Stage IA. I think Janner and others would tell you this is a pretty low risk lesion, congratulations on catching it early. Be vigilant about your skin, monitor any changes, get frequent skin checks/exams, etc. . After wide excision, there probably isn't much else. This has a very good prognosis. You've come to a great place for information/discussion. Sorry you joined us, but the prognosis for this type of lesion is in the very high 90s, probably 97%, 98%, not 100% but still very good. I'm not a doctor, but this is what I gather from what I've learned. Not no risk, but low risk. Stay vigilant, but not paranoid.
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:21 pm
This is pretty thin. Puts you at Stage IA. I think Janner and others would tell you this is a pretty low risk lesion, congratulations on catching it early. Be vigilant about your skin, monitor any changes, get frequent skin checks/exams, etc. . After wide excision, there probably isn't much else. This has a very good prognosis. You've come to a great place for information/discussion. Sorry you joined us, but the prognosis for this type of lesion is in the very high 90s, probably 97%, 98%, not 100% but still very good. I'm not a doctor, but this is what I gather from what I've learned. Not no risk, but low risk. Stay vigilant, but not paranoid.
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:43 pm
So far, so good. Once you get the path, you can confirm. But truthfully, you are following "standard protocol" so far. There are no treatments for stage I melanoma, period. So seeing a melanoma specialist isn't of any real value at the moment. (Specialists are much more important at stage III/IV). Many oncologists don't even see stage I. As long as you are comfortable with your dermatologist, you are good to go.
Please remember that you can't take everything you read on a site like this as "gospel truth". There are some who think they know their stats, but if you actually read their path reports, they aren't accurately stating their stats. This site is a site for newly diagnosed, and exceptions. Those that don't progress eventually leave…. off living and not worrying about melanoma!
Best wishes,
Stage IB since 1992, 3 MM primaries
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:43 pm
So far, so good. Once you get the path, you can confirm. But truthfully, you are following "standard protocol" so far. There are no treatments for stage I melanoma, period. So seeing a melanoma specialist isn't of any real value at the moment. (Specialists are much more important at stage III/IV). Many oncologists don't even see stage I. As long as you are comfortable with your dermatologist, you are good to go.
Please remember that you can't take everything you read on a site like this as "gospel truth". There are some who think they know their stats, but if you actually read their path reports, they aren't accurately stating their stats. This site is a site for newly diagnosed, and exceptions. Those that don't progress eventually leave…. off living and not worrying about melanoma!
Best wishes,
Stage IB since 1992, 3 MM primaries
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- March 28, 2014 at 6:43 pm
So far, so good. Once you get the path, you can confirm. But truthfully, you are following "standard protocol" so far. There are no treatments for stage I melanoma, period. So seeing a melanoma specialist isn't of any real value at the moment. (Specialists are much more important at stage III/IV). Many oncologists don't even see stage I. As long as you are comfortable with your dermatologist, you are good to go.
Please remember that you can't take everything you read on a site like this as "gospel truth". There are some who think they know their stats, but if you actually read their path reports, they aren't accurately stating their stats. This site is a site for newly diagnosed, and exceptions. Those that don't progress eventually leave…. off living and not worrying about melanoma!
Best wishes,
Stage IB since 1992, 3 MM primaries
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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