› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Cancer in 1 of 3 lymph nodes
- This topic has 42 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 8 years ago by
Bigdaddy5.
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- April 24, 2016 at 1:53 pm
Hello!
I has a melonoma on my back and had wide area incision and sental lymph nodes removed. The surgeon called to tell me cancer was found in 1 of the 3 lymph nodes but it had not broken through the capillaries. He said that was very good. Can someone please explain that? He would like to remove more lymph nodes but I told him my oncologist had a PET scan set up for this Friday 4/29 and I am meeting the oncologist to go over the results on 5/3 in the morning and then follow up appointment with the surgeon in the afternoon of 5/3.
The surgeon wants to wait to see the PET scan results (surgeon did say, which I am sure will be negative) and then will discuss with the oncologist the next step.
I guess this would make me Stage III … Can anyone give me any recommendations or feedback from this information?
I am very sad and trying to hold it together but I was so expecting to hear there was no cancer in lymph nodes. I even met with the oncologist before surgery and he assures me with my tumor size of 1.3 mm I had nothing to worry about.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Laura
- Replies
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- April 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Sorry to hear about your positive results. I had my wide excision and sentinel node biopsy done in 2/2014. I remember receiving the phone call for my biopsy result while I was working clinicals in respiratory therapy school in Tampa and I just broke down in tears because I knew what that had meant. The three lymph nodes they took out of my left armpit were all positive. They went back two weeks later to remove the rest and none of those were positive. I was staged then at 3B. I would assume you would probably be the same because I thought the protocol was between 1-3 lymph nodes. I could be wrong though. What really scared me was that they said I had a very high rate of mitosis, which is what makes it branch off and spread. Mine was very aggresive. After the full year of Interferon I had one good PET scan and then they found a tumor on my right lung just a couple months ago. I just had the surgery on 4/6/2016 and of course it was positive so now I'm stage IV. Will you be starting the 12 month Interferon regimen?
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- April 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Sorry to hear about your positive results. I had my wide excision and sentinel node biopsy done in 2/2014. I remember receiving the phone call for my biopsy result while I was working clinicals in respiratory therapy school in Tampa and I just broke down in tears because I knew what that had meant. The three lymph nodes they took out of my left armpit were all positive. They went back two weeks later to remove the rest and none of those were positive. I was staged then at 3B. I would assume you would probably be the same because I thought the protocol was between 1-3 lymph nodes. I could be wrong though. What really scared me was that they said I had a very high rate of mitosis, which is what makes it branch off and spread. Mine was very aggresive. After the full year of Interferon I had one good PET scan and then they found a tumor on my right lung just a couple months ago. I just had the surgery on 4/6/2016 and of course it was positive so now I'm stage IV. Will you be starting the 12 month Interferon regimen?
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- April 24, 2016 at 3:30 pm
Trust me I know how you feel. It's a difficult thing because knowledge is power and you want to arm yourself with all the information you can but it comes at a cost. It is depressing to read about because it's almost all negative. I will tell you this. They are making amazing advancements in the way they are treating melanoma. As a matter of fact, someone on here just awhile back posted an article saying if you can make it until the year 2020 that they believe you will live a full life like anyone else because of the new treatments. I do think you will be starting Interferon because I think that is the protocol for what you described. If you find out you will be starting Interferon I will share with you what I experienced. The good, the bad, and the ugly. That is if you want to hear it.
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- April 24, 2016 at 3:30 pm
Trust me I know how you feel. It's a difficult thing because knowledge is power and you want to arm yourself with all the information you can but it comes at a cost. It is depressing to read about because it's almost all negative. I will tell you this. They are making amazing advancements in the way they are treating melanoma. As a matter of fact, someone on here just awhile back posted an article saying if you can make it until the year 2020 that they believe you will live a full life like anyone else because of the new treatments. I do think you will be starting Interferon because I think that is the protocol for what you described. If you find out you will be starting Interferon I will share with you what I experienced. The good, the bad, and the ugly. That is if you want to hear it.
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- April 24, 2016 at 3:30 pm
Trust me I know how you feel. It's a difficult thing because knowledge is power and you want to arm yourself with all the information you can but it comes at a cost. It is depressing to read about because it's almost all negative. I will tell you this. They are making amazing advancements in the way they are treating melanoma. As a matter of fact, someone on here just awhile back posted an article saying if you can make it until the year 2020 that they believe you will live a full life like anyone else because of the new treatments. I do think you will be starting Interferon because I think that is the protocol for what you described. If you find out you will be starting Interferon I will share with you what I experienced. The good, the bad, and the ugly. That is if you want to hear it.
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- April 24, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Just want to chime in and say that Interferon is no longer the recommended approach for stage III. It is watch and wait or Yervoy (which was FDA approved in Oct 2015), or clinical trial. Interferon has proven close to no benefit, so thankfully they've done Yervoy (Ipilimumab) trials and found enough benefit for an FDA approval. I have done Yervoy and am Stage 3B. I can answer any questions, but these are all things your oncologist will bring up…. hopefully it is a melanoma oncologist.. if not, then you need to find one. Regular oncologists will not cut it as they are not up to date on the newest research and everything about melanoma.
Sorry you have to be in the Stage 3 boat, but, with new advances in science it's not as bad as it used to be.
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- April 24, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Just want to chime in and say that Interferon is no longer the recommended approach for stage III. It is watch and wait or Yervoy (which was FDA approved in Oct 2015), or clinical trial. Interferon has proven close to no benefit, so thankfully they've done Yervoy (Ipilimumab) trials and found enough benefit for an FDA approval. I have done Yervoy and am Stage 3B. I can answer any questions, but these are all things your oncologist will bring up…. hopefully it is a melanoma oncologist.. if not, then you need to find one. Regular oncologists will not cut it as they are not up to date on the newest research and everything about melanoma.
Sorry you have to be in the Stage 3 boat, but, with new advances in science it's not as bad as it used to be.
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- April 26, 2016 at 1:39 am
Glad you called for an appt with a melanoma specialist. My history is in my profile, if you click where it says jennunicorn that will take you to my profile and you can see everything there.
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- April 26, 2016 at 1:39 am
Glad you called for an appt with a melanoma specialist. My history is in my profile, if you click where it says jennunicorn that will take you to my profile and you can see everything there.
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- April 26, 2016 at 1:39 am
Glad you called for an appt with a melanoma specialist. My history is in my profile, if you click where it says jennunicorn that will take you to my profile and you can see everything there.
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- April 26, 2016 at 2:12 am
If you have any questions or want more detail about anything let me know 🙂
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- April 26, 2016 at 2:12 am
If you have any questions or want more detail about anything let me know 🙂
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- April 26, 2016 at 2:12 am
If you have any questions or want more detail about anything let me know 🙂
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- April 24, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Just want to chime in and say that Interferon is no longer the recommended approach for stage III. It is watch and wait or Yervoy (which was FDA approved in Oct 2015), or clinical trial. Interferon has proven close to no benefit, so thankfully they've done Yervoy (Ipilimumab) trials and found enough benefit for an FDA approval. I have done Yervoy and am Stage 3B. I can answer any questions, but these are all things your oncologist will bring up…. hopefully it is a melanoma oncologist.. if not, then you need to find one. Regular oncologists will not cut it as they are not up to date on the newest research and everything about melanoma.
Sorry you have to be in the Stage 3 boat, but, with new advances in science it's not as bad as it used to be.
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- April 25, 2016 at 2:05 pm
Laura, I am sorry that you are joining this club but I can pass along some advice I was given when my husband was going through last year.
This by far is the scariest part not being fully staged. You will get through this and once you have more answers and can complete staging it does get easier (Thanks Lenny!!!!!). You will have a plan and I know we felt a bit more in control. My husband got the same phone call that his lymph node was positive and we were devastated. We also have three kids (all under 8 now) and I understand your worry. My husband opted to remove the remaining lymph nodes in his neck and all 30 of them were clear. He is finishing up a clinical trial this June at Texas Oncology – Efficacy Study of Nivolumab Compared to Ipilimumab in Prevention of Recurrence of Melanoma After Complete Resection of Stage IIIb/c or Stage IV Melanoma (CheckMate 238). There are many options out there for Melanoma patients and survivors. Hang in there and I will be saying prayers for you that you have good PET scans.
~Kristi
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- April 25, 2016 at 2:05 pm
Laura, I am sorry that you are joining this club but I can pass along some advice I was given when my husband was going through last year.
This by far is the scariest part not being fully staged. You will get through this and once you have more answers and can complete staging it does get easier (Thanks Lenny!!!!!). You will have a plan and I know we felt a bit more in control. My husband got the same phone call that his lymph node was positive and we were devastated. We also have three kids (all under 8 now) and I understand your worry. My husband opted to remove the remaining lymph nodes in his neck and all 30 of them were clear. He is finishing up a clinical trial this June at Texas Oncology – Efficacy Study of Nivolumab Compared to Ipilimumab in Prevention of Recurrence of Melanoma After Complete Resection of Stage IIIb/c or Stage IV Melanoma (CheckMate 238). There are many options out there for Melanoma patients and survivors. Hang in there and I will be saying prayers for you that you have good PET scans.
~Kristi
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- April 25, 2016 at 2:05 pm
Laura, I am sorry that you are joining this club but I can pass along some advice I was given when my husband was going through last year.
This by far is the scariest part not being fully staged. You will get through this and once you have more answers and can complete staging it does get easier (Thanks Lenny!!!!!). You will have a plan and I know we felt a bit more in control. My husband got the same phone call that his lymph node was positive and we were devastated. We also have three kids (all under 8 now) and I understand your worry. My husband opted to remove the remaining lymph nodes in his neck and all 30 of them were clear. He is finishing up a clinical trial this June at Texas Oncology – Efficacy Study of Nivolumab Compared to Ipilimumab in Prevention of Recurrence of Melanoma After Complete Resection of Stage IIIb/c or Stage IV Melanoma (CheckMate 238). There are many options out there for Melanoma patients and survivors. Hang in there and I will be saying prayers for you that you have good PET scans.
~Kristi
-
- April 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Sorry to hear about your positive results. I had my wide excision and sentinel node biopsy done in 2/2014. I remember receiving the phone call for my biopsy result while I was working clinicals in respiratory therapy school in Tampa and I just broke down in tears because I knew what that had meant. The three lymph nodes they took out of my left armpit were all positive. They went back two weeks later to remove the rest and none of those were positive. I was staged then at 3B. I would assume you would probably be the same because I thought the protocol was between 1-3 lymph nodes. I could be wrong though. What really scared me was that they said I had a very high rate of mitosis, which is what makes it branch off and spread. Mine was very aggresive. After the full year of Interferon I had one good PET scan and then they found a tumor on my right lung just a couple months ago. I just had the surgery on 4/6/2016 and of course it was positive so now I'm stage IV. Will you be starting the 12 month Interferon regimen?
-
- April 24, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Hi Laura
I sympathise with you. The shock must be awful. Try to stay positive. It was only in 1 of the 3 lymph nodes. I am also am not sure what 'not broken through the capillaries' means but I am guessing that the melanoma in one lymph node was very small, too small to have even disrupted the small blood vessels.
In my opinion, you are right to talk your oncologist next.. Your oncologist will be able to answer all your questions. He or she may suggest options for you to choose between. Don't rush into the next surgery. You need to settle yourself and feel that you are on the correct treatment pathway for you.
Having the PET scan is sensible. Get as much information as possible before going forward. My PET scan told my oncologist that I was only Stage 3C, not Stage 4 like she had initially thought.
You have to forcus on how melanoma treatment has moved on. There are the immunotherapies. There are the targetted therapies based on the mutations your particular melanoma shows. There are many other treatments in the pipeline. Hopefully you will never need any of these 'next step' treatments but they are there.
Is your oncologist a melanoma specialist?
You might be thinking 'I must do something now'. Waiting five days for the scan and then another six days for your appointment may feel like forever.
I have two suggestions for you.
1. Remember that your immune system has a big role to play in getting rid of melanoma cells. Try to stay healthy and limit your stress. I know that must seem crazy given how you are feeling now but please try.
2. Consider doing some reading before your next meeting with your oncologist. It might help you frame your questions and understand the answers. This resource is from the UK rather than the USA but , in my opinion, it is very good and easy to navigate.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/melanoma/
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- April 24, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Hi Laura
I sympathise with you. The shock must be awful. Try to stay positive. It was only in 1 of the 3 lymph nodes. I am also am not sure what 'not broken through the capillaries' means but I am guessing that the melanoma in one lymph node was very small, too small to have even disrupted the small blood vessels.
In my opinion, you are right to talk your oncologist next.. Your oncologist will be able to answer all your questions. He or she may suggest options for you to choose between. Don't rush into the next surgery. You need to settle yourself and feel that you are on the correct treatment pathway for you.
Having the PET scan is sensible. Get as much information as possible before going forward. My PET scan told my oncologist that I was only Stage 3C, not Stage 4 like she had initially thought.
You have to forcus on how melanoma treatment has moved on. There are the immunotherapies. There are the targetted therapies based on the mutations your particular melanoma shows. There are many other treatments in the pipeline. Hopefully you will never need any of these 'next step' treatments but they are there.
Is your oncologist a melanoma specialist?
You might be thinking 'I must do something now'. Waiting five days for the scan and then another six days for your appointment may feel like forever.
I have two suggestions for you.
1. Remember that your immune system has a big role to play in getting rid of melanoma cells. Try to stay healthy and limit your stress. I know that must seem crazy given how you are feeling now but please try.
2. Consider doing some reading before your next meeting with your oncologist. It might help you frame your questions and understand the answers. This resource is from the UK rather than the USA but , in my opinion, it is very good and easy to navigate.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/melanoma/
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- April 24, 2016 at 6:10 pm
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
My oncologist is not a Melanoma oncologist. I live in a rural area and he is well known and very good in this area. But I fully plan on taking on all of your suggestions and looking into a Melanoma oncologist, which for me is 1 1/2 hours away in Pittsburgh. This is why I am doing all this research and asking all of you questions so I can be ready to ask him questions.
When the oncologist looked at my pathology he was very convinced it was situ and assured me it was nothing to worry about. So that has me concerned.
Again, thank you for everything.
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- April 24, 2016 at 9:13 pm
I know having to do a bit of a drive for doctor visits can be hard, but you definitely need a melanoma specialist from this point forward, especially that part about the oncologist thinking it was in situ…. a lymph node biopsy would never be done on in situ.. so that alone would raise a red flag that this doctor does not know very much about melanoma.
Take your time in finding the right doctors and treatment options and everything, you don't have to rush into anything right away. It's good to get as much info as you can and get knowledgeable about everything as it will help you decide what is best for you.
-
- April 24, 2016 at 9:13 pm
I know having to do a bit of a drive for doctor visits can be hard, but you definitely need a melanoma specialist from this point forward, especially that part about the oncologist thinking it was in situ…. a lymph node biopsy would never be done on in situ.. so that alone would raise a red flag that this doctor does not know very much about melanoma.
Take your time in finding the right doctors and treatment options and everything, you don't have to rush into anything right away. It's good to get as much info as you can and get knowledgeable about everything as it will help you decide what is best for you.
-
- April 24, 2016 at 9:13 pm
I know having to do a bit of a drive for doctor visits can be hard, but you definitely need a melanoma specialist from this point forward, especially that part about the oncologist thinking it was in situ…. a lymph node biopsy would never be done on in situ.. so that alone would raise a red flag that this doctor does not know very much about melanoma.
Take your time in finding the right doctors and treatment options and everything, you don't have to rush into anything right away. It's good to get as much info as you can and get knowledgeable about everything as it will help you decide what is best for you.
-
- April 24, 2016 at 6:10 pm
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
My oncologist is not a Melanoma oncologist. I live in a rural area and he is well known and very good in this area. But I fully plan on taking on all of your suggestions and looking into a Melanoma oncologist, which for me is 1 1/2 hours away in Pittsburgh. This is why I am doing all this research and asking all of you questions so I can be ready to ask him questions.
When the oncologist looked at my pathology he was very convinced it was situ and assured me it was nothing to worry about. So that has me concerned.
Again, thank you for everything.
-
- April 24, 2016 at 6:10 pm
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
My oncologist is not a Melanoma oncologist. I live in a rural area and he is well known and very good in this area. But I fully plan on taking on all of your suggestions and looking into a Melanoma oncologist, which for me is 1 1/2 hours away in Pittsburgh. This is why I am doing all this research and asking all of you questions so I can be ready to ask him questions.
When the oncologist looked at my pathology he was very convinced it was situ and assured me it was nothing to worry about. So that has me concerned.
Again, thank you for everything.
-
- April 24, 2016 at 4:19 pm
Hi Laura
I sympathise with you. The shock must be awful. Try to stay positive. It was only in 1 of the 3 lymph nodes. I am also am not sure what 'not broken through the capillaries' means but I am guessing that the melanoma in one lymph node was very small, too small to have even disrupted the small blood vessels.
In my opinion, you are right to talk your oncologist next.. Your oncologist will be able to answer all your questions. He or she may suggest options for you to choose between. Don't rush into the next surgery. You need to settle yourself and feel that you are on the correct treatment pathway for you.
Having the PET scan is sensible. Get as much information as possible before going forward. My PET scan told my oncologist that I was only Stage 3C, not Stage 4 like she had initially thought.
You have to forcus on how melanoma treatment has moved on. There are the immunotherapies. There are the targetted therapies based on the mutations your particular melanoma shows. There are many other treatments in the pipeline. Hopefully you will never need any of these 'next step' treatments but they are there.
Is your oncologist a melanoma specialist?
You might be thinking 'I must do something now'. Waiting five days for the scan and then another six days for your appointment may feel like forever.
I have two suggestions for you.
1. Remember that your immune system has a big role to play in getting rid of melanoma cells. Try to stay healthy and limit your stress. I know that must seem crazy given how you are feeling now but please try.
2. Consider doing some reading before your next meeting with your oncologist. It might help you frame your questions and understand the answers. This resource is from the UK rather than the USA but , in my opinion, it is very good and easy to navigate.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/melanoma/
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