› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Questions about palpable nodes
- This topic has 3 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by
Janner.
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- December 30, 2017 at 6:19 am
In the past 8 days, I have been on a rollercoaster ride. I got the official diagnosis of mm on 12/21/17. My initial reaction was “Melanoma? Ya don’t say? Alrighty then, let’s remove it.” Since then I have learned too much. Melanoma is not just “skin cancer”. This mess kills people. I am currently pathology staged as T1b, and I have bent myself into all sorts of shapes doing body checks. Having your husband walk in the bathroom seeing you naked with a hand mirror is just one of the multitude of no-shame moments I have had with that man. Bless his heart. Anywho, during an impromptu lymph node check, I came across a small lump near my elbow. My primary was located on my right lower abdomen which can apparently drain anywhere. The issue is I seem to recall this bump in the distant past which resolved on it’s own. My question is would this be a “palpable node”? Could it just be coincidental and completely unrelated? How do they test a palpable node to determine if it is melanoma? Do they just remove the whole thing? Ultrasound? Needle aspiration?
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- December 30, 2017 at 5:04 pm
Your one assumption isn't really correct. Lower abdomen is not going to drain to the elbow. Yes, there are nodes in the elbow but the only places draining to the elbow would be lower on the arm. The arm drains from the fingers upward to the armpit. If your primary was on your wrist/hand, this would be more concerning after your surgical site had healed. Remember, trauma can cause nodes to swell so anything you do to your hands could cause issues at the elbow site. Now if you were saying armpit, it is possible (though not as likely) that a lower abdomen node could drain there but chances are it would drain to a host of other nodes prior to that.
As for testing a node, I seriously doubt any doc would test this node for melanoma based on how lymph drainage works. Sometimes too much research is a BAD thing! 🙂 But in general, time is often the first thing tried. Give it time to resolve on its own. Usually nodes will resolve in 1-2 months. Possibly use antibiotics too if it is possible there is an infection. Then possibly ultrasound or a fine needle biopsy or some type of scan to monitor size. But in your case, I think you can chalk it up to paranoia and simple "this is how my body works normally" rather than melanoma.
Also while your checking yourself over, remember the vast majority of melanoma warriors never have a second melanoma primary. Maybe 10% do. Always good to keep a watch out but also remember that your odds are very good that way too.
Stage 1 since 1992 here with 3 primaries. Still here, still stage 1.
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- January 1, 2018 at 6:29 pm
I could very well be paranoid. No doubt. I’m just concerned as some studies have shown abdominal skin to drain to axillary nodes. Therefore epitrochlear nodes are indeed within the realm of possibility of what would be a distant metastasis. Is it more likely that node is enlarged for another unrelated reason? Absolutely, but the worry is still there. I was just wondering how they go about testing suspicious palpable nodes. -
- January 2, 2018 at 5:22 am
But again, it is NOT a typical drainage. Axillary nodes, possible. Axillary nodes are a major drainage basin. But not skipping groin, abdomen, clavical, axillary and going to elbows. You would see positive axillary nodes before elbow because it has to go through those nodes first, and generally the drainage goes to the axillary nodes from distant points. So abdomen to axillary, or wrist to elbow and/or axilary, but not abdoman to elbow. Elbow only if widespread disease. Again, you need to understand the drainage paths. In all my years here, I've can't remember anyone with distant lymph mets DOWN an extremity without other widespread mets and axillary/groin mets first. I've only ever heard of people here having mets in elbow/knee if their primary site was also on that limb and most typically lower than the elbow/knee. Talk to your doctor but I doubt they are thinking that an elbow node is at all related to your abdomen node.
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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