Hi there,
First of all, English is not my native language, so please don't be distracted by my use of the language.
In 2013 I had a mole removed that had changed color on my right upper leg (<5 millimeters). My family doctor told me it was melanoma in situ, and told me that I needed to have a re-excision in hospital, because the cancerous tissue was too close to the border of the biopt. In the operating room however, I saw that someone had written 'stage I' on my chart. The surgeon told me she presumed it was stage I.
After a few excruciating weeks of waiting I got a good result back: there was no longer any evidence of malignancy found in the skin they removed during the surgery.
Now, I'm at a point where I am trying to move on with my life. I'm finding this very hard, being worried a lot and always checking my skin and wondering if I am being alert or hypochondric about is. I also asked for the pathology report of the first mole removal, because I wish to understand what stage my melanoma was in.
The conclusion said that the pattern of melanocytic cells they saw in my skin was mostly something that would fit a melanoma in situ, however there was a focal laesion of 0,3 mm that was 'strongly suspect for beginning invasive growth'.
I keep wondering if the 0,3 mm is the Breslow thickness and if suspect means inconclusive or if it is just a eufemism for 'it is melanoma stage I'?
Can anyone help me?
It may seem arbitrary, but I can't seem to let this go, it is important to me.
.
