› Forums › General Melanoma Community › New Diagnosis Questions
- This topic has 12 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 14 years ago by
Janner.
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- April 10, 2012 at 1:32 am
Hello,
We just learned today of the diagnosis. All we were told is that it is 0.6mm witha Clarks staging of II. We have an appt with a general surgeon next Mon. for excision of the remaining tumor. Does anyone know if waiting a week is too long or should we get into someone sooner? Also, should we be going to a more specialized surgeon? Thanks so much – Mitt
Hello,
We just learned today of the diagnosis. All we were told is that it is 0.6mm witha Clarks staging of II. We have an appt with a general surgeon next Mon. for excision of the remaining tumor. Does anyone know if waiting a week is too long or should we get into someone sooner? Also, should we be going to a more specialized surgeon? Thanks so much – Mitt
- Replies
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- April 10, 2012 at 2:13 am
A lesion with a Breslow of 0.6mm and a Clark's Level II is either a stage IA or IB lesion. You need one more piece of information (mitosis) to make the final staging diagnosis. I recommend getting a copy of the pathology report for your own files.
This is considered a low risk lesion. It is not a problem waiting a week for the surgery. Anything within 90 days is considered acceptable. As for the surgeon, it's up to you. Certainly a general surgeon should be able to get the 1cm margins needed for this lesion. Some dermatologists will do the surgery. Others go to a plastic surgeon. Others go to a surgical oncologist. All are just fine as long as the pathology states that you have the margins needed. After that, regular followups with a dermatologist is the general guidelines along with practicing sun safety and watching your other moles for CHANGE!
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 10, 2012 at 2:13 am
A lesion with a Breslow of 0.6mm and a Clark's Level II is either a stage IA or IB lesion. You need one more piece of information (mitosis) to make the final staging diagnosis. I recommend getting a copy of the pathology report for your own files.
This is considered a low risk lesion. It is not a problem waiting a week for the surgery. Anything within 90 days is considered acceptable. As for the surgeon, it's up to you. Certainly a general surgeon should be able to get the 1cm margins needed for this lesion. Some dermatologists will do the surgery. Others go to a plastic surgeon. Others go to a surgical oncologist. All are just fine as long as the pathology states that you have the margins needed. After that, regular followups with a dermatologist is the general guidelines along with practicing sun safety and watching your other moles for CHANGE!
Best wishes,
Janner
-
- April 10, 2012 at 2:13 am
A lesion with a Breslow of 0.6mm and a Clark's Level II is either a stage IA or IB lesion. You need one more piece of information (mitosis) to make the final staging diagnosis. I recommend getting a copy of the pathology report for your own files.
This is considered a low risk lesion. It is not a problem waiting a week for the surgery. Anything within 90 days is considered acceptable. As for the surgeon, it's up to you. Certainly a general surgeon should be able to get the 1cm margins needed for this lesion. Some dermatologists will do the surgery. Others go to a plastic surgeon. Others go to a surgical oncologist. All are just fine as long as the pathology states that you have the margins needed. After that, regular followups with a dermatologist is the general guidelines along with practicing sun safety and watching your other moles for CHANGE!
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 10, 2012 at 2:45 am
Thank you Jenner!
You just removed the knot from my stomach. We will get the report, have the excision and pray for the most excellent outcome. Knowlege is so important. What really is hard is that the Dr's office just calls and says "you have a malignant melanoma" without any offer of what that means, etc. My husband (the patient) just had his knee replaced, so this is really weird, but maybe that is why he noticed it. We just hope that the WLE does not effect the knee prosthesis, but what ever. Anyway, thank you again for your kind reply.
Mitt…wife of the patient.
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- April 10, 2012 at 2:45 am
Thank you Jenner!
You just removed the knot from my stomach. We will get the report, have the excision and pray for the most excellent outcome. Knowlege is so important. What really is hard is that the Dr's office just calls and says "you have a malignant melanoma" without any offer of what that means, etc. My husband (the patient) just had his knee replaced, so this is really weird, but maybe that is why he noticed it. We just hope that the WLE does not effect the knee prosthesis, but what ever. Anyway, thank you again for your kind reply.
Mitt…wife of the patient.
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- April 10, 2012 at 2:45 am
Thank you Jenner!
You just removed the knot from my stomach. We will get the report, have the excision and pray for the most excellent outcome. Knowlege is so important. What really is hard is that the Dr's office just calls and says "you have a malignant melanoma" without any offer of what that means, etc. My husband (the patient) just had his knee replaced, so this is really weird, but maybe that is why he noticed it. We just hope that the WLE does not effect the knee prosthesis, but what ever. Anyway, thank you again for your kind reply.
Mitt…wife of the patient.
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- April 10, 2012 at 3:44 am
Glad that knot in your stomach is gone. Been there, done that. I had a .45mm with a Clark level lll melanoma on the same leg as my hip replacement. 3 months later I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from the same leg. That freaked me out. I was so afraid it would somehow effect the prosthesis. A quick call to my hip surgeon put my mind at ease. -
- April 10, 2012 at 3:44 am
Glad that knot in your stomach is gone. Been there, done that. I had a .45mm with a Clark level lll melanoma on the same leg as my hip replacement. 3 months later I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from the same leg. That freaked me out. I was so afraid it would somehow effect the prosthesis. A quick call to my hip surgeon put my mind at ease. -
- April 10, 2012 at 3:44 am
Glad that knot in your stomach is gone. Been there, done that. I had a .45mm with a Clark level lll melanoma on the same leg as my hip replacement. 3 months later I had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from the same leg. That freaked me out. I was so afraid it would somehow effect the prosthesis. A quick call to my hip surgeon put my mind at ease. -
- April 10, 2012 at 1:46 pm
The WLE shouldn't affect the prosthesis at all unless the scar overlaps the other surgical scar. I've had 4 WLE's on my legs and countless knee surgeries including 2 replacements. The WLE will be tight but there really should be little functional impact. Some anatomical locations are harder than others, but in general, I consider the WLE for a stage I lesion to be a big inconvenience. Some pain, some restriction, lots of itching and hives for me from the adhesives! If his WLE is on his leg, then you already know the drill. Keep it elevated when possible. Ice packs if there is pain and/or swelling. Watch for infection. And just being a little more cautious about things while it is healing. Unlike the knee scar, this one will be much tighter as they will be removing a chunk of tissue then trying to pull the edges together.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 10, 2012 at 1:46 pm
The WLE shouldn't affect the prosthesis at all unless the scar overlaps the other surgical scar. I've had 4 WLE's on my legs and countless knee surgeries including 2 replacements. The WLE will be tight but there really should be little functional impact. Some anatomical locations are harder than others, but in general, I consider the WLE for a stage I lesion to be a big inconvenience. Some pain, some restriction, lots of itching and hives for me from the adhesives! If his WLE is on his leg, then you already know the drill. Keep it elevated when possible. Ice packs if there is pain and/or swelling. Watch for infection. And just being a little more cautious about things while it is healing. Unlike the knee scar, this one will be much tighter as they will be removing a chunk of tissue then trying to pull the edges together.
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 10, 2012 at 1:46 pm
The WLE shouldn't affect the prosthesis at all unless the scar overlaps the other surgical scar. I've had 4 WLE's on my legs and countless knee surgeries including 2 replacements. The WLE will be tight but there really should be little functional impact. Some anatomical locations are harder than others, but in general, I consider the WLE for a stage I lesion to be a big inconvenience. Some pain, some restriction, lots of itching and hives for me from the adhesives! If his WLE is on his leg, then you already know the drill. Keep it elevated when possible. Ice packs if there is pain and/or swelling. Watch for infection. And just being a little more cautious about things while it is healing. Unlike the knee scar, this one will be much tighter as they will be removing a chunk of tissue then trying to pull the edges together.
Best wishes,
Janner
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