› Forums › General Melanoma Community › immune system
- This topic has 24 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 9 months ago by
utee72.
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- May 18, 2012 at 8:37 pm
I know this probably sounds like a crazy question. But, it seems like our immune systems and melanoma development are very linked. So that someone immuno-compromised in some way would be at greater risk of developing mel. Does that mean even when we have a cold or the flu or maybe even something worse? I'm even afraid to get hernia surgery because I wonder if I'll be at all immuno compromised afterwards. I also worry about getting it done because I wonder were I to get another primary mel, and needed aSLNB in groin area, would this surgery mess up
I know this probably sounds like a crazy question. But, it seems like our immune systems and melanoma development are very linked. So that someone immuno-compromised in some way would be at greater risk of developing mel. Does that mean even when we have a cold or the flu or maybe even something worse? I'm even afraid to get hernia surgery because I wonder if I'll be at all immuno compromised afterwards. I also worry about getting it done because I wonder were I to get another primary mel, and needed aSLNB in groin area, would this surgery mess up the drainage pattern, etc..?
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- May 18, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Transitory things like cold and flu are really not considered to be significant in the immune response with melanoma. People who have suppressed immune systems via drugs or other diseases where it is ALWAYS in that state are the ones with higher risk. I've had plenty of surgeries and never given any of them a second thought with regards to melanoma. Yes, I've had 3 primaries but that is most likely related to the genetic defect I have which gave me a 76% lifetime risk of melanoma. You know your risk for a second primary is low, about 8%. As for a hernia surgery screwing up drainage patterns, that is only a short term risk and you'd have to have a primary NOW that has already spread to your lymph nodes. The lymph vessels find a way to drain after they've been interrupted and they'll find a new path and new sentinel node. I would not worry at all about having hernia surgery unless I had a deep melanoma on my stomach now. THEN it might be an issue.
Do you have lupus? Take a drug (name escapes me at the moment) to keep the lupus symptoms in check? If so, you are at higher risk for melanoma. There has been a link between a specific lupus drug and developing melanoma. I have seen others who have auto immune diseases where the immune system is overactive and has to be suppressed to make day to day living comfortable develop melanoma. There is a link, but it's not a link between a cold or flu. It's actually not all that easy for the body to develop a second melanoma. I think you are over analyzing things a bit. Give melanoma the respect it deserves, but then do the things you have to do to live comfortably including having hernia surgery!
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- May 18, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Transitory things like cold and flu are really not considered to be significant in the immune response with melanoma. People who have suppressed immune systems via drugs or other diseases where it is ALWAYS in that state are the ones with higher risk. I've had plenty of surgeries and never given any of them a second thought with regards to melanoma. Yes, I've had 3 primaries but that is most likely related to the genetic defect I have which gave me a 76% lifetime risk of melanoma. You know your risk for a second primary is low, about 8%. As for a hernia surgery screwing up drainage patterns, that is only a short term risk and you'd have to have a primary NOW that has already spread to your lymph nodes. The lymph vessels find a way to drain after they've been interrupted and they'll find a new path and new sentinel node. I would not worry at all about having hernia surgery unless I had a deep melanoma on my stomach now. THEN it might be an issue.
Do you have lupus? Take a drug (name escapes me at the moment) to keep the lupus symptoms in check? If so, you are at higher risk for melanoma. There has been a link between a specific lupus drug and developing melanoma. I have seen others who have auto immune diseases where the immune system is overactive and has to be suppressed to make day to day living comfortable develop melanoma. There is a link, but it's not a link between a cold or flu. It's actually not all that easy for the body to develop a second melanoma. I think you are over analyzing things a bit. Give melanoma the respect it deserves, but then do the things you have to do to live comfortably including having hernia surgery!
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- May 19, 2012 at 3:16 am
Only 2-4% of the melanoma population have the defect I do. I was only tested because of my 3 primaries AND because my local instituion was doing a study on familial melanoma. To have this defect, you would have a very strong family history of melanoma, multiple primaries, or a family history of pancreatic cancer. I don't recommend getting tested because it really doesn't change anything. 90% of melanomas are considered sporadic – that is there is no inherited genetic defect causing a higher risk for melanoma. They think about 10% are genetic, but have identified only 3 genes that account for less than 5% of melanoma cases.
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- May 19, 2012 at 3:16 am
Only 2-4% of the melanoma population have the defect I do. I was only tested because of my 3 primaries AND because my local instituion was doing a study on familial melanoma. To have this defect, you would have a very strong family history of melanoma, multiple primaries, or a family history of pancreatic cancer. I don't recommend getting tested because it really doesn't change anything. 90% of melanomas are considered sporadic – that is there is no inherited genetic defect causing a higher risk for melanoma. They think about 10% are genetic, but have identified only 3 genes that account for less than 5% of melanoma cases.
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- May 19, 2012 at 3:16 am
Only 2-4% of the melanoma population have the defect I do. I was only tested because of my 3 primaries AND because my local instituion was doing a study on familial melanoma. To have this defect, you would have a very strong family history of melanoma, multiple primaries, or a family history of pancreatic cancer. I don't recommend getting tested because it really doesn't change anything. 90% of melanomas are considered sporadic – that is there is no inherited genetic defect causing a higher risk for melanoma. They think about 10% are genetic, but have identified only 3 genes that account for less than 5% of melanoma cases.
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- May 19, 2012 at 12:01 am
" It's actually not all that easy for the body to develop a second melanoma" I guess I don't understand this in the sense that once you've done the systemic damage to your DNA w/ sun exposure, etc…. then haven't you done the damage necessary for melanomas to develop? Why would a second melanoma be any more difficult for the body to develop than a first melanoma?
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- May 19, 2012 at 12:01 am
" It's actually not all that easy for the body to develop a second melanoma" I guess I don't understand this in the sense that once you've done the systemic damage to your DNA w/ sun exposure, etc…. then haven't you done the damage necessary for melanomas to develop? Why would a second melanoma be any more difficult for the body to develop than a first melanoma?
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- May 19, 2012 at 12:01 am
" It's actually not all that easy for the body to develop a second melanoma" I guess I don't understand this in the sense that once you've done the systemic damage to your DNA w/ sun exposure, etc…. then haven't you done the damage necessary for melanomas to develop? Why would a second melanoma be any more difficult for the body to develop than a first melanoma?
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- May 19, 2012 at 3:20 am
They did some studies with mice. They injected live melanoma cells into mice and the mice developed a melanoma primary. Then they tried doing the same thing again. The mice didn't develop another primary but did develop a type of immune response that is thought to keep other primaries from forming. They think the same type of thing happens in humans given the relatively low incidence of melanoma warriors developing more than one primary. It's been a long time since I read about this so I'm going on memory from many years ago – but this is what I recall.
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- May 19, 2012 at 3:20 am
They did some studies with mice. They injected live melanoma cells into mice and the mice developed a melanoma primary. Then they tried doing the same thing again. The mice didn't develop another primary but did develop a type of immune response that is thought to keep other primaries from forming. They think the same type of thing happens in humans given the relatively low incidence of melanoma warriors developing more than one primary. It's been a long time since I read about this so I'm going on memory from many years ago – but this is what I recall.
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- May 19, 2012 at 3:20 am
They did some studies with mice. They injected live melanoma cells into mice and the mice developed a melanoma primary. Then they tried doing the same thing again. The mice didn't develop another primary but did develop a type of immune response that is thought to keep other primaries from forming. They think the same type of thing happens in humans given the relatively low incidence of melanoma warriors developing more than one primary. It's been a long time since I read about this so I'm going on memory from many years ago – but this is what I recall.
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- May 29, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Melanoma. like most cancers, mutates and thus can mutate to avoid immune system defenses that may be in place for earlier melanomas. Thus the reason to catch it early and WLE remove ALL the primary lesion cells.
Another later primary may or may not be detected by the immune system depending upon the mutations in the new primary melanocytes. I suspect that most later new primaries fortunately are detected thus the reason for their rarity.
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- May 29, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Melanoma. like most cancers, mutates and thus can mutate to avoid immune system defenses that may be in place for earlier melanomas. Thus the reason to catch it early and WLE remove ALL the primary lesion cells.
Another later primary may or may not be detected by the immune system depending upon the mutations in the new primary melanocytes. I suspect that most later new primaries fortunately are detected thus the reason for their rarity.
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- May 29, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Melanoma. like most cancers, mutates and thus can mutate to avoid immune system defenses that may be in place for earlier melanomas. Thus the reason to catch it early and WLE remove ALL the primary lesion cells.
Another later primary may or may not be detected by the immune system depending upon the mutations in the new primary melanocytes. I suspect that most later new primaries fortunately are detected thus the reason for their rarity.
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- May 18, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Transitory things like cold and flu are really not considered to be significant in the immune response with melanoma. People who have suppressed immune systems via drugs or other diseases where it is ALWAYS in that state are the ones with higher risk. I've had plenty of surgeries and never given any of them a second thought with regards to melanoma. Yes, I've had 3 primaries but that is most likely related to the genetic defect I have which gave me a 76% lifetime risk of melanoma. You know your risk for a second primary is low, about 8%. As for a hernia surgery screwing up drainage patterns, that is only a short term risk and you'd have to have a primary NOW that has already spread to your lymph nodes. The lymph vessels find a way to drain after they've been interrupted and they'll find a new path and new sentinel node. I would not worry at all about having hernia surgery unless I had a deep melanoma on my stomach now. THEN it might be an issue.
Do you have lupus? Take a drug (name escapes me at the moment) to keep the lupus symptoms in check? If so, you are at higher risk for melanoma. There has been a link between a specific lupus drug and developing melanoma. I have seen others who have auto immune diseases where the immune system is overactive and has to be suppressed to make day to day living comfortable develop melanoma. There is a link, but it's not a link between a cold or flu. It's actually not all that easy for the body to develop a second melanoma. I think you are over analyzing things a bit. Give melanoma the respect it deserves, but then do the things you have to do to live comfortably including having hernia surgery!
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