› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Severely atypical vs Melanoma
- This topic has 66 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 8 months ago by casey188.
- Post
-
- July 6, 2012 at 12:02 am
Hi!
What is the difference between severely atypical lesion and melanoma?
Does it mean severely atypical cannot metastize and melanoma can? Where is that border ?
Hi!
What is the difference between severely atypical lesion and melanoma?
Does it mean severely atypical cannot metastize and melanoma can? Where is that border ?
- Replies
-
-
- July 6, 2012 at 2:50 am
The difference between severely atypical and melanoma in situ is a matter of degrees. While each of them may have some of the same factors, melanoma in situ will have more of them. Neither can really metastasize – melanoma in situ has basically a 100% cure rate. It's confined to the epidermis with no access to blood or lymph vessels that take the cells elsewhere. Both are treated the same, however, with 5mm margins. The differentiation between the two is best left to an experienced dermatopathologist who sees lots of melanoma – as it's a judgement call to make the final diagnosis.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 2:50 am
The difference between severely atypical and melanoma in situ is a matter of degrees. While each of them may have some of the same factors, melanoma in situ will have more of them. Neither can really metastasize – melanoma in situ has basically a 100% cure rate. It's confined to the epidermis with no access to blood or lymph vessels that take the cells elsewhere. Both are treated the same, however, with 5mm margins. The differentiation between the two is best left to an experienced dermatopathologist who sees lots of melanoma – as it's a judgement call to make the final diagnosis.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 11:15 am
Thank you all for your replies!!
I have done 2 pathologies in different clinics in different countries.
Both says the same :'' this is severely atypical lesion and not all the features of melanoma are present ,but ,at worst,
the appearances could represent an early superficial spreading melanoma in radial growth phase ,Breslow 0.2 ( very occasional dermal melanocites) '' .
I am wondering , how they both can stand between severely atypical and Breslow 0.2 ( not in-situ ,as Janner said) ?????
I had wide axcition and they treated it as melanoma ,but it is not the fact I had one.
This is very impostant to me and I am thinking about this all the time.
both pathologists are in largest hospitals of countries where I did pathology .
-
- July 6, 2012 at 11:15 am
Thank you all for your replies!!
I have done 2 pathologies in different clinics in different countries.
Both says the same :'' this is severely atypical lesion and not all the features of melanoma are present ,but ,at worst,
the appearances could represent an early superficial spreading melanoma in radial growth phase ,Breslow 0.2 ( very occasional dermal melanocites) '' .
I am wondering , how they both can stand between severely atypical and Breslow 0.2 ( not in-situ ,as Janner said) ?????
I had wide axcition and they treated it as melanoma ,but it is not the fact I had one.
This is very impostant to me and I am thinking about this all the time.
both pathologists are in largest hospitals of countries where I did pathology .
-
- July 6, 2012 at 11:15 am
Thank you all for your replies!!
I have done 2 pathologies in different clinics in different countries.
Both says the same :'' this is severely atypical lesion and not all the features of melanoma are present ,but ,at worst,
the appearances could represent an early superficial spreading melanoma in radial growth phase ,Breslow 0.2 ( very occasional dermal melanocites) '' .
I am wondering , how they both can stand between severely atypical and Breslow 0.2 ( not in-situ ,as Janner said) ?????
I had wide axcition and they treated it as melanoma ,but it is not the fact I had one.
This is very impostant to me and I am thinking about this all the time.
both pathologists are in largest hospitals of countries where I did pathology .
-
- July 6, 2012 at 2:50 am
The difference between severely atypical and melanoma in situ is a matter of degrees. While each of them may have some of the same factors, melanoma in situ will have more of them. Neither can really metastasize – melanoma in situ has basically a 100% cure rate. It's confined to the epidermis with no access to blood or lymph vessels that take the cells elsewhere. Both are treated the same, however, with 5mm margins. The differentiation between the two is best left to an experienced dermatopathologist who sees lots of melanoma – as it's a judgement call to make the final diagnosis.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 11:37 am
Can you send it to a U.S. melanoma center of excellence for pathology? MD Anderson, Sloan Kettering, etc..? For another opinion? Will it change your treatment/follow-up? Or, for peace of mind?
-
- July 6, 2012 at 11:47 am
Can you send to another place in Europe then for another opinion and hopefully a definitive answer?
-
- July 6, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Not quite exactly the same, but on another forum I did read about someone that went from in situ to 0.45 after their second opinion. All because of a few cells breaking through the epidermis.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Please don’t take this the wrong way but I have read many of your posts and your last statement stuck me. Living the rest of your life worried about “nothing” and stage 1 a ? How will it change your life? You have talked about having your pathology done multiple times and yet you still doubt the report. You are young, stop obsessing. Live your life. Yes, be proactive with sun protection but don’t let your diagnosis take over your life. If you can not stop obsessing then I would recommend talking with a professional to help you deal with your fears.You were diagnosed around the same time I recieved my diagnosis. I was diagnosed with stage 1a and believe me I worried!! Within a 3 month period I was diagnosed melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and severe atypia all in different locations. Yes, I became fearful and a bit obsessive. It finally put it all in prospective. I hope you too, can reach that point.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Please don’t take this the wrong way but I have read many of your posts and your last statement stuck me. Living the rest of your life worried about “nothing” and stage 1 a ? How will it change your life? You have talked about having your pathology done multiple times and yet you still doubt the report. You are young, stop obsessing. Live your life. Yes, be proactive with sun protection but don’t let your diagnosis take over your life. If you can not stop obsessing then I would recommend talking with a professional to help you deal with your fears.You were diagnosed around the same time I recieved my diagnosis. I was diagnosed with stage 1a and believe me I worried!! Within a 3 month period I was diagnosed melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and severe atypia all in different locations. Yes, I became fearful and a bit obsessive. It finally put it all in prospective. I hope you too, can reach that point.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Please don’t take this the wrong way but I have read many of your posts and your last statement stuck me. Living the rest of your life worried about “nothing” and stage 1 a ? How will it change your life? You have talked about having your pathology done multiple times and yet you still doubt the report. You are young, stop obsessing. Live your life. Yes, be proactive with sun protection but don’t let your diagnosis take over your life. If you can not stop obsessing then I would recommend talking with a professional to help you deal with your fears.You were diagnosed around the same time I recieved my diagnosis. I was diagnosed with stage 1a and believe me I worried!! Within a 3 month period I was diagnosed melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and severe atypia all in different locations. Yes, I became fearful and a bit obsessive. It finally put it all in prospective. I hope you too, can reach that point.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 3:51 pm
I'm a different "Anonymous" and I just want to say that I think sometimes on these forums unless you are advanced stage there may not be as much validity given to your worry & anxiety. Sometimes I think if someone posts who is in-situ or 1a/1b, their concerns are sometimes not addressed as thoroughly as others who post that are more advanced. But, I want you to know that even though you are either severely atypical or in situ or 1a. .whatever the case may be. . I understand that you're worried and concerned and such a diagnosis naturally would cause anxiety. You may never get a definitive answer, seems like pathology is very much subjective sometimes. I think as time goes on it might get a little easier to live with – probably will always be in your mind at some level and you'll pay close attention to your body, how you feel, any changes, etc. . .and you'll be vigilent with Dr appointments, etc. . . You're not "crazy" to be worried, it's natural. It's not as easy as snapping your fingers and just moving on with your life as if this didn't happen. At some level, it changes us, we're not exactly the same people we were before. But you move on the best you can. And, if it would help to talk to someone, utilize that too.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 3:51 pm
I'm a different "Anonymous" and I just want to say that I think sometimes on these forums unless you are advanced stage there may not be as much validity given to your worry & anxiety. Sometimes I think if someone posts who is in-situ or 1a/1b, their concerns are sometimes not addressed as thoroughly as others who post that are more advanced. But, I want you to know that even though you are either severely atypical or in situ or 1a. .whatever the case may be. . I understand that you're worried and concerned and such a diagnosis naturally would cause anxiety. You may never get a definitive answer, seems like pathology is very much subjective sometimes. I think as time goes on it might get a little easier to live with – probably will always be in your mind at some level and you'll pay close attention to your body, how you feel, any changes, etc. . .and you'll be vigilent with Dr appointments, etc. . . You're not "crazy" to be worried, it's natural. It's not as easy as snapping your fingers and just moving on with your life as if this didn't happen. At some level, it changes us, we're not exactly the same people we were before. But you move on the best you can. And, if it would help to talk to someone, utilize that too.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 3:51 pm
I'm a different "Anonymous" and I just want to say that I think sometimes on these forums unless you are advanced stage there may not be as much validity given to your worry & anxiety. Sometimes I think if someone posts who is in-situ or 1a/1b, their concerns are sometimes not addressed as thoroughly as others who post that are more advanced. But, I want you to know that even though you are either severely atypical or in situ or 1a. .whatever the case may be. . I understand that you're worried and concerned and such a diagnosis naturally would cause anxiety. You may never get a definitive answer, seems like pathology is very much subjective sometimes. I think as time goes on it might get a little easier to live with – probably will always be in your mind at some level and you'll pay close attention to your body, how you feel, any changes, etc. . .and you'll be vigilent with Dr appointments, etc. . . You're not "crazy" to be worried, it's natural. It's not as easy as snapping your fingers and just moving on with your life as if this didn't happen. At some level, it changes us, we're not exactly the same people we were before. But you move on the best you can. And, if it would help to talk to someone, utilize that too.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 4:35 pm
I'm not sure what you really want here, Natasha. You've posted about your pathology several times. NO ONE can give you an answer. There IS no answer. Is your lesion severely atypical or is it stage IA? It's a judgement call and you've had two opinions. You will not get a better answer – the laypeople here can't give you better info than you've already got. There is no absolute when it comes to pathology – only experienced opinions of pathologists. Whether you treat this as severely atypical or stage IA melanoma is entirely up to you. Either way, your prognosis is excellent. A .2mm stage IA lesion has a very high survival rate. A severely atypical lesion is not melanoma. Whether your survival stats are 100% or 99% (probably realistic for a .2mm lesion) – those odds are amazing when it comes to cancer.
Time will help you – the further you get out from your diagnosis, the easier things will get. But micro analyzing the pathology report will never give you the answer you want – a guarantee. Uncertainty is a by product of any type of cancer. And it just takes time to process this and put it in perspective. The first year is always the toughest. I will recommend moving away from boards like this one. Not that we don't want you here, but places like this will increase your anxiety disproportional to your survival odds. I know this from personal experience. Boards like this with advanced stage people are not the best place to hang out for early stage individuals. It's tough to keep your perspective while watching stage III/IV people do treatments. Don't let my reply put you off – ask any questions you want here. But just understand there really are no absolute answers when it comes to pathology or prognosis.
Best wishes,
Janner
-
- July 6, 2012 at 4:35 pm
I'm not sure what you really want here, Natasha. You've posted about your pathology several times. NO ONE can give you an answer. There IS no answer. Is your lesion severely atypical or is it stage IA? It's a judgement call and you've had two opinions. You will not get a better answer – the laypeople here can't give you better info than you've already got. There is no absolute when it comes to pathology – only experienced opinions of pathologists. Whether you treat this as severely atypical or stage IA melanoma is entirely up to you. Either way, your prognosis is excellent. A .2mm stage IA lesion has a very high survival rate. A severely atypical lesion is not melanoma. Whether your survival stats are 100% or 99% (probably realistic for a .2mm lesion) – those odds are amazing when it comes to cancer.
Time will help you – the further you get out from your diagnosis, the easier things will get. But micro analyzing the pathology report will never give you the answer you want – a guarantee. Uncertainty is a by product of any type of cancer. And it just takes time to process this and put it in perspective. The first year is always the toughest. I will recommend moving away from boards like this one. Not that we don't want you here, but places like this will increase your anxiety disproportional to your survival odds. I know this from personal experience. Boards like this with advanced stage people are not the best place to hang out for early stage individuals. It's tough to keep your perspective while watching stage III/IV people do treatments. Don't let my reply put you off – ask any questions you want here. But just understand there really are no absolute answers when it comes to pathology or prognosis.
Best wishes,
Janner
-
- July 6, 2012 at 6:28 pm
I want to say big big thanks to both Anonymus and Janner ! I am sorry I am really annoing here ,but I don't speak to anyone ,exept you here on the forum ,but ,as Janner said ,it is better to go and live life.My Doc put me on antidepressants so I feel better now and I think less about cancer 🙂
Thank you all to be supports and so kind and friendly
-
- July 6, 2012 at 6:28 pm
I want to say big big thanks to both Anonymus and Janner ! I am sorry I am really annoing here ,but I don't speak to anyone ,exept you here on the forum ,but ,as Janner said ,it is better to go and live life.My Doc put me on antidepressants so I feel better now and I think less about cancer 🙂
Thank you all to be supports and so kind and friendly
-
- July 6, 2012 at 6:28 pm
I want to say big big thanks to both Anonymus and Janner ! I am sorry I am really annoing here ,but I don't speak to anyone ,exept you here on the forum ,but ,as Janner said ,it is better to go and live life.My Doc put me on antidepressants so I feel better now and I think less about cancer 🙂
Thank you all to be supports and so kind and friendly
-
- July 6, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Just pretent it's severely atypical and go on with your life as usual! That's what I would do. The fact that they even said that they could not tell if it was severely atypical or melanoma to me, means it was more likely severely atypical but tey have to cover thier rears.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Just pretent it's severely atypical and go on with your life as usual! That's what I would do. The fact that they even said that they could not tell if it was severely atypical or melanoma to me, means it was more likely severely atypical but tey have to cover thier rears.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Just pretent it's severely atypical and go on with your life as usual! That's what I would do. The fact that they even said that they could not tell if it was severely atypical or melanoma to me, means it was more likely severely atypical but tey have to cover thier rears.
-
- July 6, 2012 at 4:35 pm
I'm not sure what you really want here, Natasha. You've posted about your pathology several times. NO ONE can give you an answer. There IS no answer. Is your lesion severely atypical or is it stage IA? It's a judgement call and you've had two opinions. You will not get a better answer – the laypeople here can't give you better info than you've already got. There is no absolute when it comes to pathology – only experienced opinions of pathologists. Whether you treat this as severely atypical or stage IA melanoma is entirely up to you. Either way, your prognosis is excellent. A .2mm stage IA lesion has a very high survival rate. A severely atypical lesion is not melanoma. Whether your survival stats are 100% or 99% (probably realistic for a .2mm lesion) – those odds are amazing when it comes to cancer.
Time will help you – the further you get out from your diagnosis, the easier things will get. But micro analyzing the pathology report will never give you the answer you want – a guarantee. Uncertainty is a by product of any type of cancer. And it just takes time to process this and put it in perspective. The first year is always the toughest. I will recommend moving away from boards like this one. Not that we don't want you here, but places like this will increase your anxiety disproportional to your survival odds. I know this from personal experience. Boards like this with advanced stage people are not the best place to hang out for early stage individuals. It's tough to keep your perspective while watching stage III/IV people do treatments. Don't let my reply put you off – ask any questions you want here. But just understand there really are no absolute answers when it comes to pathology or prognosis.
Best wishes,
Janner
-
- July 7, 2012 at 12:35 am
Time will get you through this. I am 4 years out from a stage 1 diagnosis and have moved on for the most part . Get on with your life. Don't linger here as you will not like what you read. Especially the advanced stages.
-
- July 7, 2012 at 9:19 am
Thank you ! I deffinately not just focusing on negative. This forum gave me a lot of positive thoughts .
I am focusing on my life , I will have child soon ,I need to be healthy and here for him.
I think it is very important to share our expierences and thank you for your support.
-
- July 7, 2012 at 9:19 am
Thank you ! I deffinately not just focusing on negative. This forum gave me a lot of positive thoughts .
I am focusing on my life , I will have child soon ,I need to be healthy and here for him.
I think it is very important to share our expierences and thank you for your support.
-
- July 7, 2012 at 9:19 am
Thank you ! I deffinately not just focusing on negative. This forum gave me a lot of positive thoughts .
I am focusing on my life , I will have child soon ,I need to be healthy and here for him.
I think it is very important to share our expierences and thank you for your support.
-
- July 7, 2012 at 5:56 pm
The comment I made about undoing the help of others was not geared toward you Natasha. The other anon poster just seems like they can only focus on the negative and not have hope. They are obsessing a bit too much I think! It’s unhealthy. Being realistic has its place without making it your sole focus. Good luck to you! -
- July 7, 2012 at 5:56 pm
The comment I made about undoing the help of others was not geared toward you Natasha. The other anon poster just seems like they can only focus on the negative and not have hope. They are obsessing a bit too much I think! It’s unhealthy. Being realistic has its place without making it your sole focus. Good luck to you! -
- July 7, 2012 at 5:56 pm
The comment I made about undoing the help of others was not geared toward you Natasha. The other anon poster just seems like they can only focus on the negative and not have hope. They are obsessing a bit too much I think! It’s unhealthy. Being realistic has its place without making it your sole focus. Good luck to you!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.