Is it back??
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Is it back??

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Is it back??

  • Post
    • April 4, 2016 at 2:39 pm
    KittyFisher
    Participant
    Hi all.

    I was diagnosed with melanoma in 2011. I had a wide local excision and had my lymph nodes removed after a positive sentinel node biopsy. The other nodes were not affected and that was that. I carried on with life as normal and only ever remembered the melanoma when I had to go for my checks. A lump came up about 3 months ago where I had the lymph nodes removed. I’ve now had a ultrasound and needle aspiration biopsy on the lump and am awaiting results.

    I didn’t worry last time and it hasn’t bothered me since, but now I have a little boy so things are very different for me and I can’t help but worry that I could get bad news.

    I’m wondering if anyone has any experience of a similar situation? Is it likely that it could return where I had the lymph nodes removed?

Viewing 2 reply threads
  • Replies
      • April 4, 2016 at 4:51 pm
      Linny
      Participant

      Sorry to hear you are going through this stress. It sounds like you have a reactive node. Doctors did the right thing by performing the needle aspiration so they can determine what it's reacting to. Unfortunately, melanoma can return where you had nodes removed. If it ends up being melanoma and it has not traveled beyond that lymph node basin, I believe it would then it would be a local recurrence and your staging should not be affected. 

        • April 4, 2016 at 5:58 pm
        KittyFisher
        Participant
        Thank you for taking the time to reply. Ok, so does it mean if it has come back its not necessarily spread any further than that area? What would they have to do. Would it just be more surgery?

        I was stage 3 before if that makes any difference.

        • April 4, 2016 at 6:13 pm
        Linny
        Participant

        If that lymph node has melanoma cells in it and doctors have ruled out distant metastases, then one of the scenarios described here should take place: https://www.aimatmelanoma.org/after-treatment/recurrance-of-melanoma/.

         

        • April 4, 2016 at 6:13 pm
        Linny
        Participant

        If that lymph node has melanoma cells in it and doctors have ruled out distant metastases, then one of the scenarios described here should take place: https://www.aimatmelanoma.org/after-treatment/recurrance-of-melanoma/.

         

        • April 4, 2016 at 7:45 pm
        KittyFisher
        Participant
        That’s really helpful thanks. I was thinking that as I’d had the lymph nodes removed, there wasn’t any there anymore for it to get into and it could mean it’s just roaming free in my body!! Knowing that if I do get bad news that it is quite possibly still local to that area is reassuring. Thank you.
        • April 4, 2016 at 7:45 pm
        KittyFisher
        Participant
        That’s really helpful thanks. I was thinking that as I’d had the lymph nodes removed, there wasn’t any there anymore for it to get into and it could mean it’s just roaming free in my body!! Knowing that if I do get bad news that it is quite possibly still local to that area is reassuring. Thank you.
        • April 4, 2016 at 7:45 pm
        KittyFisher
        Participant
        That’s really helpful thanks. I was thinking that as I’d had the lymph nodes removed, there wasn’t any there anymore for it to get into and it could mean it’s just roaming free in my body!! Knowing that if I do get bad news that it is quite possibly still local to that area is reassuring. Thank you.
        • April 4, 2016 at 6:13 pm
        Linny
        Participant

        If that lymph node has melanoma cells in it and doctors have ruled out distant metastases, then one of the scenarios described here should take place: https://www.aimatmelanoma.org/after-treatment/recurrance-of-melanoma/.

         

        • April 4, 2016 at 5:58 pm
        KittyFisher
        Participant
        Thank you for taking the time to reply. Ok, so does it mean if it has come back its not necessarily spread any further than that area? What would they have to do. Would it just be more surgery?

        I was stage 3 before if that makes any difference.

        • April 4, 2016 at 5:58 pm
        KittyFisher
        Participant
        Thank you for taking the time to reply. Ok, so does it mean if it has come back its not necessarily spread any further than that area? What would they have to do. Would it just be more surgery?

        I was stage 3 before if that makes any difference.

      • April 4, 2016 at 4:51 pm
      Linny
      Participant

      Sorry to hear you are going through this stress. It sounds like you have a reactive node. Doctors did the right thing by performing the needle aspiration so they can determine what it's reacting to. Unfortunately, melanoma can return where you had nodes removed. If it ends up being melanoma and it has not traveled beyond that lymph node basin, I believe it would then it would be a local recurrence and your staging should not be affected. 

      • April 4, 2016 at 4:51 pm
      Linny
      Participant

      Sorry to hear you are going through this stress. It sounds like you have a reactive node. Doctors did the right thing by performing the needle aspiration so they can determine what it's reacting to. Unfortunately, melanoma can return where you had nodes removed. If it ends up being melanoma and it has not traveled beyond that lymph node basin, I believe it would then it would be a local recurrence and your staging should not be affected. 

Viewing 2 reply threads
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