27 with Cancer

I had my first melanoma at 28. It was also in-situ. I then had 2 more within the same 2 year period, but unfortunately they were invasive. It’s a common cancer in women our age, so don’t think that it’s strange for you to have had a melanoma at age 27. It’s not.

The waiting is hard, but you mustn’t think the worst. You are aware now and that’s what’s going to count in your favor. Your melanoma was in-situ so it can’t spread. Calm down and wait for the results of the shave biopsy before you worry too much. Most people only ever get one melanoma. I’m an exception.

Good luck

I had my first melanoma at 28. It was also in-situ. I then had 2 more within the same 2 year period, but unfortunately they were invasive. It’s a common cancer in women our age, so don’t think that it’s strange for you to have had a melanoma at age 27. It’s not.

The waiting is hard, but you mustn’t think the worst. You are aware now and that’s what’s going to count in your favor. Your melanoma was in-situ so it can’t spread. Calm down and wait for the results of the shave biopsy before you worry too much. Most people only ever get one melanoma. I’m an exception.

Good luck

I had my first melanoma at 28. It was also in-situ. I then had 2 more within the same 2 year period, but unfortunately they were invasive. It’s a common cancer in women our age, so don’t think that it’s strange for you to have had a melanoma at age 27. It’s not.

The waiting is hard, but you mustn’t think the worst. You are aware now and that’s what’s going to count in your favor. Your melanoma was in-situ so it can’t spread. Calm down and wait for the results of the shave biopsy before you worry too much. Most people only ever get one melanoma. I’m an exception.

Good luck

I'm sorry for your situation and all the fear it brings. You have come to the right place. You

need information, support, and faith. Hopefully all will go well and this will be an isolated

situation, but having found this board may someday save your life. Educate yourself and

listen to the advice of the people who have the experience and your fear will diminish.

My best to you – it sounds like you are in a manageable situation and add you to my prayers

for all in this community.

Regards, Vicki

I'm sorry for your situation and all the fear it brings. You have come to the right place. You

need information, support, and faith. Hopefully all will go well and this will be an isolated

situation, but having found this board may someday save your life. Educate yourself and

listen to the advice of the people who have the experience and your fear will diminish.

My best to you – it sounds like you are in a manageable situation and add you to my prayers

for all in this community.

Regards, Vicki

I'm sorry for your situation and all the fear it brings. You have come to the right place. You

need information, support, and faith. Hopefully all will go well and this will be an isolated

situation, but having found this board may someday save your life. Educate yourself and

listen to the advice of the people who have the experience and your fear will diminish.

My best to you – it sounds like you are in a manageable situation and add you to my prayers

for all in this community.

Regards, Vicki

I'm going to say something and then say it again and then probably say it again– never again allow anyone to do a shave biopsy on you again!

That being said, when anyone first gets a diagnosis containing the "M word" it hits them right in the gut. That is a perfectly normal and probably unavoidable reaction. But melanoma-in-situ very, very rarely progresses to later stages. I think there is something like a 95% probability of you never having a recurrance. And in those few cases where MIS does progress, I think a lot of them were misdiagnosed originally (as happened with my brother).  And, while you are very smart to have your other suspicious moles biopsied, the probability of you having 2 or more melanoma lesions on different parts of your body at the same time is vanishingly small. 

I think the best way to look at this episode is that you got a wake-up call to keep yourself informed and vigilant about melanoma. Now you know that you do have the melanoma gene (whatever that is) and you should be checked by a dematologist experienced with melanoma once or twice a year, especially if you become pregnant. Just remember that the most important data in a pathology report is the Breslow depth. That is crucial for determining the probability of spread and any necessary treatment. That is why (watch out– here it comes again) you should NEVER have a shave biopsy. It can be difficult or even impossible to determine the Breslow depth from a shave biopsy, and that can mess you up completely. So if you ever have a biopsy in the future, make sure it is a punch biopsy, a scalloped biopsy, or a Mohs biopsy. 

I'm going to say something and then say it again and then probably say it again– never again allow anyone to do a shave biopsy on you again!

That being said, when anyone first gets a diagnosis containing the "M word" it hits them right in the gut. That is a perfectly normal and probably unavoidable reaction. But melanoma-in-situ very, very rarely progresses to later stages. I think there is something like a 95% probability of you never having a recurrance. And in those few cases where MIS does progress, I think a lot of them were misdiagnosed originally (as happened with my brother).  And, while you are very smart to have your other suspicious moles biopsied, the probability of you having 2 or more melanoma lesions on different parts of your body at the same time is vanishingly small. 

I think the best way to look at this episode is that you got a wake-up call to keep yourself informed and vigilant about melanoma. Now you know that you do have the melanoma gene (whatever that is) and you should be checked by a dematologist experienced with melanoma once or twice a year, especially if you become pregnant. Just remember that the most important data in a pathology report is the Breslow depth. That is crucial for determining the probability of spread and any necessary treatment. That is why (watch out– here it comes again) you should NEVER have a shave biopsy. It can be difficult or even impossible to determine the Breslow depth from a shave biopsy, and that can mess you up completely. So if you ever have a biopsy in the future, make sure it is a punch biopsy, a scalloped biopsy, or a Mohs biopsy. 

I'm going to say something and then say it again and then probably say it again– never again allow anyone to do a shave biopsy on you again!

That being said, when anyone first gets a diagnosis containing the "M word" it hits them right in the gut. That is a perfectly normal and probably unavoidable reaction. But melanoma-in-situ very, very rarely progresses to later stages. I think there is something like a 95% probability of you never having a recurrance. And in those few cases where MIS does progress, I think a lot of them were misdiagnosed originally (as happened with my brother).  And, while you are very smart to have your other suspicious moles biopsied, the probability of you having 2 or more melanoma lesions on different parts of your body at the same time is vanishingly small. 

I think the best way to look at this episode is that you got a wake-up call to keep yourself informed and vigilant about melanoma. Now you know that you do have the melanoma gene (whatever that is) and you should be checked by a dematologist experienced with melanoma once or twice a year, especially if you become pregnant. Just remember that the most important data in a pathology report is the Breslow depth. That is crucial for determining the probability of spread and any necessary treatment. That is why (watch out– here it comes again) you should NEVER have a shave biopsy. It can be difficult or even impossible to determine the Breslow depth from a shave biopsy, and that can mess you up completely. So if you ever have a biopsy in the future, make sure it is a punch biopsy, a scalloped biopsy, or a Mohs biopsy. 

What is "a scalloped biopsy?"  Is that like deep shave, saucerization?  Or, something different?  Thanks

What is "a scalloped biopsy?"  Is that like deep shave, saucerization?  Or, something different?  Thanks

What is "a scalloped biopsy?"  Is that like deep shave, saucerization?  Or, something different?  Thanks

I was 16 when I had a mole develop into melanoma-in-situ.  The doctors did a wide excision on that mole and one nearby and skin grafted the site.  I am 55 and never have had a recurrence.  

That said, my daughter is 24 and had a mole on her neck forever.  It started looking weird and I bugged her to have it biopsied.  She had other moles biopsied over the years because of my paranoia about melanoma.  This one came back positive for malignant melanoma stage IIb because of the depth.  She had a wide excision done with sentinel lymph node biopsy.  All tissue and lymph node were clear.  Within a month she felt a swollen lymph node near the original site.  Fine needle biopsy and CT scan showed melanoma.  She had all the lymph nodes in the right side of her neck removed and only the one had melanoma.  She is now a stage IIIb and has opted for adjuvant biochemotherapy to improve her chance of survival.  

I guess the reason I am writing all this is to say that with melanoma-in-situ there is almost no risk of recurrence.  There is a genetic tendency for melanoma however and when you have children please, please know that they have a greater than average risk of developing melanoma.  I am praying that the rest of your biopsies are clear and that all is well.  

There seems to be a lot of waiting involved in melanoma and the easiest way to get through it is with the love and support of your family and friends.

I was 16 when I had a mole develop into melanoma-in-situ.  The doctors did a wide excision on that mole and one nearby and skin grafted the site.  I am 55 and never have had a recurrence.  

That said, my daughter is 24 and had a mole on her neck forever.  It started looking weird and I bugged her to have it biopsied.  She had other moles biopsied over the years because of my paranoia about melanoma.  This one came back positive for malignant melanoma stage IIb because of the depth.  She had a wide excision done with sentinel lymph node biopsy.  All tissue and lymph node were clear.  Within a month she felt a swollen lymph node near the original site.  Fine needle biopsy and CT scan showed melanoma.  She had all the lymph nodes in the right side of her neck removed and only the one had melanoma.  She is now a stage IIIb and has opted for adjuvant biochemotherapy to improve her chance of survival.  

I guess the reason I am writing all this is to say that with melanoma-in-situ there is almost no risk of recurrence.  There is a genetic tendency for melanoma however and when you have children please, please know that they have a greater than average risk of developing melanoma.  I am praying that the rest of your biopsies are clear and that all is well.  

There seems to be a lot of waiting involved in melanoma and the easiest way to get through it is with the love and support of your family and friends.

I was 16 when I had a mole develop into melanoma-in-situ.  The doctors did a wide excision on that mole and one nearby and skin grafted the site.  I am 55 and never have had a recurrence.  

That said, my daughter is 24 and had a mole on her neck forever.  It started looking weird and I bugged her to have it biopsied.  She had other moles biopsied over the years because of my paranoia about melanoma.  This one came back positive for malignant melanoma stage IIb because of the depth.  She had a wide excision done with sentinel lymph node biopsy.  All tissue and lymph node were clear.  Within a month she felt a swollen lymph node near the original site.  Fine needle biopsy and CT scan showed melanoma.  She had all the lymph nodes in the right side of her neck removed and only the one had melanoma.  She is now a stage IIIb and has opted for adjuvant biochemotherapy to improve her chance of survival.  

I guess the reason I am writing all this is to say that with melanoma-in-situ there is almost no risk of recurrence.  There is a genetic tendency for melanoma however and when you have children please, please know that they have a greater than average risk of developing melanoma.  I am praying that the rest of your biopsies are clear and that all is well.  

There seems to be a lot of waiting involved in melanoma and the easiest way to get through it is with the love and support of your family and friends.

Look up previous posts by a Lady named Janner. Also search for “melanoma-in-Situ”.
Hopefully the mole comes back without showing Melanoma mutations.You are doing the correct thing to start learning now. Please do not get too paranoid before knowing for sure that you are positive for actual melanoma. Do continue being vigilant either way. Much work has been going on in the Melanoma field the past few years. I have been at the stage IV level since 2007 and am still hanging in here. (OOPS, don’t like that word “HANGING”, I didn’t steal a horse!)
Please let us know what else you learn. There are many good people here that are knowledgeable. Janner is probably far and away the most knowledgeable about the earlier stages. She has stayed around here for years learning and helping people while us advanced stagers tend to scar the heck out of newcomers by being at advanced stages. Most low stagers have gone away and on with life and don’t hang around here much after their first clear year.

Look up previous posts by a Lady named Janner. Also search for “melanoma-in-Situ”.
Hopefully the mole comes back without showing Melanoma mutations.You are doing the correct thing to start learning now. Please do not get too paranoid before knowing for sure that you are positive for actual melanoma. Do continue being vigilant either way. Much work has been going on in the Melanoma field the past few years. I have been at the stage IV level since 2007 and am still hanging in here. (OOPS, don’t like that word “HANGING”, I didn’t steal a horse!)
Please let us know what else you learn. There are many good people here that are knowledgeable. Janner is probably far and away the most knowledgeable about the earlier stages. She has stayed around here for years learning and helping people while us advanced stagers tend to scar the heck out of newcomers by being at advanced stages. Most low stagers have gone away and on with life and don’t hang around here much after their first clear year.

Look up previous posts by a Lady named Janner. Also search for “melanoma-in-Situ”.
Hopefully the mole comes back without showing Melanoma mutations.You are doing the correct thing to start learning now. Please do not get too paranoid before knowing for sure that you are positive for actual melanoma. Do continue being vigilant either way. Much work has been going on in the Melanoma field the past few years. I have been at the stage IV level since 2007 and am still hanging in here. (OOPS, don’t like that word “HANGING”, I didn’t steal a horse!)
Please let us know what else you learn. There are many good people here that are knowledgeable. Janner is probably far and away the most knowledgeable about the earlier stages. She has stayed around here for years learning and helping people while us advanced stagers tend to scar the heck out of newcomers by being at advanced stages. Most low stagers have gone away and on with life and don’t hang around here much after their first clear year.