› Forums › General Melanoma Community › lump size vs. melanoma
- This topic has 9 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 4 months ago by
CKasper.
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- November 29, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Could someone explain to me dependence between a size of a lump and a melanoma thickness for Desmoplastic Melanoma? We have been told yesterday that there was 1mm melanoma on my friend's neck. It seems to be really thin melanoma according to the size of lump she had which was 10cmx7cm
Please bear in mind that above measurements are for a second lump as the first one was bigger and it has been removed without any margin because it was not diagnosed as melanoma
Karolina
Could someone explain to me dependence between a size of a lump and a melanoma thickness for Desmoplastic Melanoma? We have been told yesterday that there was 1mm melanoma on my friend's neck. It seems to be really thin melanoma according to the size of lump she had which was 10cmx7cm
Please bear in mind that above measurements are for a second lump as the first one was bigger and it has been removed without any margin because it was not diagnosed as melanoma
Karolina
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- November 29, 2011 at 8:33 pm
As Janner correctly pointed out, some pathology details would be helpful.
That aside, With desmoplastic Melanoma, the lesion itself is often surrounded by large amounts of collagen.
Just a guess on my part but I think that is what you are seeing here and causing your confusion…………….a large lump was removed that is primarily collagen with a relatively thin and actual DM lesion.attached…….just a guess mind you sans a path report to read.
I would kindly suggest that your friend get a second opinion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and hence, probably more sophisticated read from a Dermapathologist.
Nothing against a regular pathologist, but a dermapath simply has far more training, experience, knowledge and exposure to the intricacies of melanoma. Even more so since DM is not easily diagnosed because it does not react to the usual staining of more common melanomas.
Some key features that would stand out in the path report for DM would be the presence of spindle cells, abundant collagen, and whether the lesion itself is with or without neurotropism. It will take both specialized staining and sophisticated microscopic examiination for a solid and conclusive diagnosis.
As a side note, though DM can be agressive for LOCALIZED recurrence, it is not all that inclined for nodal metastasis.
I'm including a link for you that goes over some of the complexities involved to properly identify DM in the pathology setting.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503442
Cheers,
Charlie S
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- November 29, 2011 at 8:33 pm
As Janner correctly pointed out, some pathology details would be helpful.
That aside, With desmoplastic Melanoma, the lesion itself is often surrounded by large amounts of collagen.
Just a guess on my part but I think that is what you are seeing here and causing your confusion…………….a large lump was removed that is primarily collagen with a relatively thin and actual DM lesion.attached…….just a guess mind you sans a path report to read.
I would kindly suggest that your friend get a second opinion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and hence, probably more sophisticated read from a Dermapathologist.
Nothing against a regular pathologist, but a dermapath simply has far more training, experience, knowledge and exposure to the intricacies of melanoma. Even more so since DM is not easily diagnosed because it does not react to the usual staining of more common melanomas.
Some key features that would stand out in the path report for DM would be the presence of spindle cells, abundant collagen, and whether the lesion itself is with or without neurotropism. It will take both specialized staining and sophisticated microscopic examiination for a solid and conclusive diagnosis.
As a side note, though DM can be agressive for LOCALIZED recurrence, it is not all that inclined for nodal metastasis.
I'm including a link for you that goes over some of the complexities involved to properly identify DM in the pathology setting.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503442
Cheers,
Charlie S
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- November 29, 2011 at 8:33 pm
As Janner correctly pointed out, some pathology details would be helpful.
That aside, With desmoplastic Melanoma, the lesion itself is often surrounded by large amounts of collagen.
Just a guess on my part but I think that is what you are seeing here and causing your confusion…………….a large lump was removed that is primarily collagen with a relatively thin and actual DM lesion.attached…….just a guess mind you sans a path report to read.
I would kindly suggest that your friend get a second opinion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and hence, probably more sophisticated read from a Dermapathologist.
Nothing against a regular pathologist, but a dermapath simply has far more training, experience, knowledge and exposure to the intricacies of melanoma. Even more so since DM is not easily diagnosed because it does not react to the usual staining of more common melanomas.
Some key features that would stand out in the path report for DM would be the presence of spindle cells, abundant collagen, and whether the lesion itself is with or without neurotropism. It will take both specialized staining and sophisticated microscopic examiination for a solid and conclusive diagnosis.
As a side note, though DM can be agressive for LOCALIZED recurrence, it is not all that inclined for nodal metastasis.
I'm including a link for you that goes over some of the complexities involved to properly identify DM in the pathology setting.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/503442
Cheers,
Charlie S
Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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