› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Melanoma in the Knee
- This topic has 18 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 4 months ago by
JTiernan.
- Post
- Replies
-
-
- January 2, 2013 at 10:32 pm
Hey,
I had the pleasure of some knee-melanoma. Spoiler alert: it wasn't a pleasure at all. What's your question about it?
Josh
-
- January 3, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Hey J,
I'll answer your question, but since my knee melanoma doesnt exactly have a happy ending, I feel compelled to point out that yours will most likely respond much much better to treatment than mine.
I also had a mass growing in my actual knee. I think it spread there about three and a half years ago. At the time, I had radiation done at Sloan Kettering. I think it was some sort of high dosage treatment which has a very high success rate and which was done over two days. The radiation seemed to work, or at least scans showed that it was working (I don't believe I was having any symptoms, so we had to rely on the scans). Anyway, about a year later I started to have pain in my knee, so I started taking Zelboraf. The Zelboraf got rid of my knee pain lickity split, however a year later the pain started again and very quickly got worse. The doctors were afraid that the tumor would fracture the bone, so a year ago I had a full knee removal surgery. They took quite a bit, including some shin bone and about 6 inches of femur. They also took a lot of the muscles and ligaments which would be kept during a non-cancer knee replacement. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it's the only thing I've gone through in this whole ordeal which has really changed my life in a negative way. I live in New York City and used to love taking walks, but now the more I walk the more pain I'm in. It's a sucky surgery which should be avoided at all costs. Currently, I've been posting things on this site mostly fueled by the fact that my knee has started to hurt a lot lately (as much as it hurt immediately after the surgery) and is making me think that something else might be growing. Actually things have gotten a bit better the past two weeks, so I won't really know what's going on until I get scanned in a month.
Anyway, the chances are ridiculously good that you'll avoid my entire knee-path. In fact, since I already went through it, the odds are that you'll have an entirely different (and better) experience.
Best of luck!
Josh
-
- January 5, 2013 at 2:47 am
Hi Josh,
Thanks so much for the information. I met with the orthopedic surgeon today at Syvestor. The next step is to schedule my surgery for the removal of the mass. He thought that the chances were slim that it was melanoma. It could be a fatty tumor or several other types of cancer. We won’t know until the biopsy. I’m voting for the fatty tumor.
It sounds like you have had a incredible journey with all of this. I pray that you find complete recovery and hopefully can walk without pain again.
It’s such a crazy disease. Mine was originally on my shoulder and had spread to my lymph nodes under my arm. That was 2007. In 2011 it had spread to my lung. I had half my lung removed and have had clear scans since until now. Seems like I’m always looking over my shoulder so to speak. I have met a lot of amazing people and have been blessed with support. I still wish it was 2007 and I had never heard of melanoma…
Please know that I will pray for you and wish you all the best.
Xo,
Jean -
- January 5, 2013 at 2:47 am
Hi Josh,
Thanks so much for the information. I met with the orthopedic surgeon today at Syvestor. The next step is to schedule my surgery for the removal of the mass. He thought that the chances were slim that it was melanoma. It could be a fatty tumor or several other types of cancer. We won’t know until the biopsy. I’m voting for the fatty tumor.
It sounds like you have had a incredible journey with all of this. I pray that you find complete recovery and hopefully can walk without pain again.
It’s such a crazy disease. Mine was originally on my shoulder and had spread to my lymph nodes under my arm. That was 2007. In 2011 it had spread to my lung. I had half my lung removed and have had clear scans since until now. Seems like I’m always looking over my shoulder so to speak. I have met a lot of amazing people and have been blessed with support. I still wish it was 2007 and I had never heard of melanoma…
Please know that I will pray for you and wish you all the best.
Xo,
Jean -
- January 5, 2013 at 2:47 am
Hi Josh,
Thanks so much for the information. I met with the orthopedic surgeon today at Syvestor. The next step is to schedule my surgery for the removal of the mass. He thought that the chances were slim that it was melanoma. It could be a fatty tumor or several other types of cancer. We won’t know until the biopsy. I’m voting for the fatty tumor.
It sounds like you have had a incredible journey with all of this. I pray that you find complete recovery and hopefully can walk without pain again.
It’s such a crazy disease. Mine was originally on my shoulder and had spread to my lymph nodes under my arm. That was 2007. In 2011 it had spread to my lung. I had half my lung removed and have had clear scans since until now. Seems like I’m always looking over my shoulder so to speak. I have met a lot of amazing people and have been blessed with support. I still wish it was 2007 and I had never heard of melanoma…
Please know that I will pray for you and wish you all the best.
Xo,
Jean -
- January 3, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Hey J,
I'll answer your question, but since my knee melanoma doesnt exactly have a happy ending, I feel compelled to point out that yours will most likely respond much much better to treatment than mine.
I also had a mass growing in my actual knee. I think it spread there about three and a half years ago. At the time, I had radiation done at Sloan Kettering. I think it was some sort of high dosage treatment which has a very high success rate and which was done over two days. The radiation seemed to work, or at least scans showed that it was working (I don't believe I was having any symptoms, so we had to rely on the scans). Anyway, about a year later I started to have pain in my knee, so I started taking Zelboraf. The Zelboraf got rid of my knee pain lickity split, however a year later the pain started again and very quickly got worse. The doctors were afraid that the tumor would fracture the bone, so a year ago I had a full knee removal surgery. They took quite a bit, including some shin bone and about 6 inches of femur. They also took a lot of the muscles and ligaments which would be kept during a non-cancer knee replacement. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it's the only thing I've gone through in this whole ordeal which has really changed my life in a negative way. I live in New York City and used to love taking walks, but now the more I walk the more pain I'm in. It's a sucky surgery which should be avoided at all costs. Currently, I've been posting things on this site mostly fueled by the fact that my knee has started to hurt a lot lately (as much as it hurt immediately after the surgery) and is making me think that something else might be growing. Actually things have gotten a bit better the past two weeks, so I won't really know what's going on until I get scanned in a month.
Anyway, the chances are ridiculously good that you'll avoid my entire knee-path. In fact, since I already went through it, the odds are that you'll have an entirely different (and better) experience.
Best of luck!
Josh
-
- January 3, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Hey J,
I'll answer your question, but since my knee melanoma doesnt exactly have a happy ending, I feel compelled to point out that yours will most likely respond much much better to treatment than mine.
I also had a mass growing in my actual knee. I think it spread there about three and a half years ago. At the time, I had radiation done at Sloan Kettering. I think it was some sort of high dosage treatment which has a very high success rate and which was done over two days. The radiation seemed to work, or at least scans showed that it was working (I don't believe I was having any symptoms, so we had to rely on the scans). Anyway, about a year later I started to have pain in my knee, so I started taking Zelboraf. The Zelboraf got rid of my knee pain lickity split, however a year later the pain started again and very quickly got worse. The doctors were afraid that the tumor would fracture the bone, so a year ago I had a full knee removal surgery. They took quite a bit, including some shin bone and about 6 inches of femur. They also took a lot of the muscles and ligaments which would be kept during a non-cancer knee replacement. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it's the only thing I've gone through in this whole ordeal which has really changed my life in a negative way. I live in New York City and used to love taking walks, but now the more I walk the more pain I'm in. It's a sucky surgery which should be avoided at all costs. Currently, I've been posting things on this site mostly fueled by the fact that my knee has started to hurt a lot lately (as much as it hurt immediately after the surgery) and is making me think that something else might be growing. Actually things have gotten a bit better the past two weeks, so I won't really know what's going on until I get scanned in a month.
Anyway, the chances are ridiculously good that you'll avoid my entire knee-path. In fact, since I already went through it, the odds are that you'll have an entirely different (and better) experience.
Best of luck!
Josh
-
- January 13, 2013 at 10:56 pm
This is very interesting to read. My PET scans have shown that I have "uptake" in my left knee, but my onc says that it is probably due to post surgical "something". I had a mole removed from the side of my knee which was atypical, but not melanoma. A year later I was diagnosed with mm in a node in my groin on that same leg. That was removed and then later more nodes were removed in my pelvis. I had the surgeon take a sample of the tissue surrounding the area where the mole was removed. They found no evidence of mm. I have considerable swelling in that leg due to lymphadema and have pain in my knee. I am wondering now if I should insist on a biopsy of that knee.
I hope you turn out OK with the decision you make.
-
- January 14, 2013 at 3:56 pm
HI Fannie,
Thanks for your reply. Mine showed a uptake in the knee that had grown 50 % since a PET scan a year ago. Then My oncologists ordered a MRI of the knee. They still cannot tell what the mass is so I am having it removed Feb 1st. If you are at all conserened I would ask for a MRI so that they can take a closer look.
Stay Well,
Jean
-
- January 14, 2013 at 3:56 pm
HI Fannie,
Thanks for your reply. Mine showed a uptake in the knee that had grown 50 % since a PET scan a year ago. Then My oncologists ordered a MRI of the knee. They still cannot tell what the mass is so I am having it removed Feb 1st. If you are at all conserened I would ask for a MRI so that they can take a closer look.
Stay Well,
Jean
-
- January 14, 2013 at 3:56 pm
HI Fannie,
Thanks for your reply. Mine showed a uptake in the knee that had grown 50 % since a PET scan a year ago. Then My oncologists ordered a MRI of the knee. They still cannot tell what the mass is so I am having it removed Feb 1st. If you are at all conserened I would ask for a MRI so that they can take a closer look.
Stay Well,
Jean
-
- January 13, 2013 at 10:56 pm
This is very interesting to read. My PET scans have shown that I have "uptake" in my left knee, but my onc says that it is probably due to post surgical "something". I had a mole removed from the side of my knee which was atypical, but not melanoma. A year later I was diagnosed with mm in a node in my groin on that same leg. That was removed and then later more nodes were removed in my pelvis. I had the surgeon take a sample of the tissue surrounding the area where the mole was removed. They found no evidence of mm. I have considerable swelling in that leg due to lymphadema and have pain in my knee. I am wondering now if I should insist on a biopsy of that knee.
I hope you turn out OK with the decision you make.
-
- January 13, 2013 at 10:56 pm
This is very interesting to read. My PET scans have shown that I have "uptake" in my left knee, but my onc says that it is probably due to post surgical "something". I had a mole removed from the side of my knee which was atypical, but not melanoma. A year later I was diagnosed with mm in a node in my groin on that same leg. That was removed and then later more nodes were removed in my pelvis. I had the surgeon take a sample of the tissue surrounding the area where the mole was removed. They found no evidence of mm. I have considerable swelling in that leg due to lymphadema and have pain in my knee. I am wondering now if I should insist on a biopsy of that knee.
I hope you turn out OK with the decision you make.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.