Positive Node

I might consider sending your slides to Boris Bastian.  He was at UCSF but is now on the east coast somewhere.  (Google him and you'll find him).  He and his team have done a lot of research on Spitz nevi and would be a good place to have your slides re-read.  If they are unsure, they have developed a genetic test which can further narrow down the odds of whether or not the lesion is a Spitz (benign) or malignant.  However, you might have to wait a bit for results.  But I'd definitely want to have an expert in that area reading the slides and giving me their informed opinion if at all possible.  I would not want to be treated as stage III if it really were  a Spitz nevus.

Spitz nevus are totally benign and often found in young individuals.  However, they are almost indistinguishable from melanoma under the microscope.  When you get someone over 20, it becomes a question as to whether it is really a Spitz Nevus or really malignant.  Hence the confusion with yours.

If it were me, I'd definitely seek an opinion from Dr. Bastian before proceeding with more invasive treatments.  YOU have to do what make YOU the most comfortable, however!

Best wishes,

Janner

I might consider sending your slides to Boris Bastian.  He was at UCSF but is now on the east coast somewhere.  (Google him and you'll find him).  He and his team have done a lot of research on Spitz nevi and would be a good place to have your slides re-read.  If they are unsure, they have developed a genetic test which can further narrow down the odds of whether or not the lesion is a Spitz (benign) or malignant.  However, you might have to wait a bit for results.  But I'd definitely want to have an expert in that area reading the slides and giving me their informed opinion if at all possible.  I would not want to be treated as stage III if it really were  a Spitz nevus.

Spitz nevus are totally benign and often found in young individuals.  However, they are almost indistinguishable from melanoma under the microscope.  When you get someone over 20, it becomes a question as to whether it is really a Spitz Nevus or really malignant.  Hence the confusion with yours.

If it were me, I'd definitely seek an opinion from Dr. Bastian before proceeding with more invasive treatments.  YOU have to do what make YOU the most comfortable, however!

Best wishes,

Janner

I might consider sending your slides to Boris Bastian.  He was at UCSF but is now on the east coast somewhere.  (Google him and you'll find him).  He and his team have done a lot of research on Spitz nevi and would be a good place to have your slides re-read.  If they are unsure, they have developed a genetic test which can further narrow down the odds of whether or not the lesion is a Spitz (benign) or malignant.  However, you might have to wait a bit for results.  But I'd definitely want to have an expert in that area reading the slides and giving me their informed opinion if at all possible.  I would not want to be treated as stage III if it really were  a Spitz nevus.

Spitz nevus are totally benign and often found in young individuals.  However, they are almost indistinguishable from melanoma under the microscope.  When you get someone over 20, it becomes a question as to whether it is really a Spitz Nevus or really malignant.  Hence the confusion with yours.

If it were me, I'd definitely seek an opinion from Dr. Bastian before proceeding with more invasive treatments.  YOU have to do what make YOU the most comfortable, however!

Best wishes,

Janner

My lesion was a spitzoid type and they couldn't tell if it was melanoma just by looking under the microscope, so they sent it off to have it DNA tested at UCSF, and it did come back melanoma.  I waited for 3 months for the testing to come back, and then they did the SNB, which was positive.  I guess my advice is don't take spitzoid cells lightly.  Good luck to you!

My lesion was a spitzoid type and they couldn't tell if it was melanoma just by looking under the microscope, so they sent it off to have it DNA tested at UCSF, and it did come back melanoma.  I waited for 3 months for the testing to come back, and then they did the SNB, which was positive.  I guess my advice is don't take spitzoid cells lightly.  Good luck to you!

My lesion was a spitzoid type and they couldn't tell if it was melanoma just by looking under the microscope, so they sent it off to have it DNA tested at UCSF, and it did come back melanoma.  I waited for 3 months for the testing to come back, and then they did the SNB, which was positive.  I guess my advice is don't take spitzoid cells lightly.  Good luck to you!

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

Hi!

My name is Jen and i am 29. I was diagnosed stage 3 a at 26. I had a lesion on my foot that was perfectly symmetrical skin colored and was misdiagnosed 3 times. When they finally sent it to the lab it was confirmed as melanoma. But the report said it had some features of a spitz nevus tumor. So i sought out a second opinion with Dr. Bastian and Dr. Daud at UCSF. Their pathology department decided that it was melanoma but that it resembled a spitzoid tumor so much that " the implication of the cells " was unknown. Once they biopsied the lymphnode they could only find 3 atypical cells that resembled BOTH melanoma and spitzoid cells. They were basically saying that because they couldn't really tell exactly what the cells were, they couldnt give me a prognosis. Anyways, we went back and forth debating about treatment but ultimately decided that because i was so young, we would go ahead with treatment. I did a year of interferon, high dose for a month and low dose for 11 months. Ipi wasnt available then..along with some other new treatments. I get scans now every 6 months and am almost 3 years out. Still praying it doesnt come back and taking it one day at a time.

Anyways, I go to an oncologist here in san diego but also up to UCSF because Dr. Daud is fantasitic, as is there melanoma center. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jen

I, too, am confused by Spitz nevus vs Spitzoid malignant melanoma.  My 8 year old son has been diagnosed with Spitzoid malignant melanoma, stage 3b. The original site was his shin; shave biopsy was followed by WLE & SNLB.  But the recommendation from one major cancer center is just for monitoring, because "it is rare for malignant melanoma to spread aggressively in a child."  This doesn't help me feel better.  We have an appt at a major melanoma clinic next week.   He also had a Spitz nevus removed from his temple (3/23), which came back with "only" moderate atypicia, and I was relieved it wasn't melanoma!  On this past Monday (4/9), the site on his temple was further excised and came back today with clear margins.  

I, too, am confused by Spitz nevus vs Spitzoid malignant melanoma.  My 8 year old son has been diagnosed with Spitzoid malignant melanoma, stage 3b. The original site was his shin; shave biopsy was followed by WLE & SNLB.  But the recommendation from one major cancer center is just for monitoring, because "it is rare for malignant melanoma to spread aggressively in a child."  This doesn't help me feel better.  We have an appt at a major melanoma clinic next week.   He also had a Spitz nevus removed from his temple (3/23), which came back with "only" moderate atypicia, and I was relieved it wasn't melanoma!  On this past Monday (4/9), the site on his temple was further excised and came back today with clear margins.  

I, too, am confused by Spitz nevus vs Spitzoid malignant melanoma.  My 8 year old son has been diagnosed with Spitzoid malignant melanoma, stage 3b. The original site was his shin; shave biopsy was followed by WLE & SNLB.  But the recommendation from one major cancer center is just for monitoring, because "it is rare for malignant melanoma to spread aggressively in a child."  This doesn't help me feel better.  We have an appt at a major melanoma clinic next week.   He also had a Spitz nevus removed from his temple (3/23), which came back with "only" moderate atypicia, and I was relieved it wasn't melanoma!  On this past Monday (4/9), the site on his temple was further excised and came back today with clear margins.