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should I be worried

Forums Cutaneous Melanoma Community should I be worried

  • Post
    Xanthe12
    Participant

      hi I have within the last few weeks told I have skin cancer, so far on my arm and leg. The melanoma on my arm was 3.7mm Breslow superficial spreading with 4 mitoses and ulceration. In a few weeks I am getting further skin removed around the area and a lymph node biopsy. Also i am BRAF wild type – what does this mean?

      Is this bad? What is the likely outcome?

      I hope to hear from you soon

      Linda

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    • Replies
        Nemesis
        Participant
          Yes, you should be worried. Have the doctors not spoken to you?
          oocn
          Participant

            No one here is going to sugar coat this for you, the figures that you noted do not present with good prognostic indications. However; there is no way of knowing how far this disease has spread until you have subsequent staging done.

            So you'll undergo a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy to determine your lymphatic staging. If that is negative (Hopefully it is!!) then you could look into clinical trials for Stage II. If it is positive, then they'd reccomend either further surgery for purposes of a clinical trial (this would be a removal of all of the lymph nodes in the are and not just a few like the Sentinel Node Biopsy). 

            My entire take away is this:

            1. Make sure you are being seen by a Melanoma specialist.

            2. Every individual is different, and just because your primary was deep does not mean you have metastatic disease. 

            3. The comment above mine says you should be "worried". My advice is to save your energy from worry until

            you know more, until you have a plan with your provider, and until you are doing something. Concern, stress, and anxiety are all normal. No one should tell you how to feel!

            Remember- there are statistics that take patients with your prognostic factors and measure their outcomes. In a group of 100 people, those figures may not be very positive. However; every individual is different. Your body responds differently, it may engage its immune defenses in a different way than those 99 other people. It does not mean you are doomed, you do not have enough real time information yet to validate that assumption, but it does mean it's time to get serious and that begins with a specialist. 

            My advice from here- perhaps you research a little more the stories of others in your situation on this incredibly resourceful site.

            Wishing you my best of luck. 

            Patrisa
            Participant

              Dear Linda,

              so sorry you have to deal with this and yes, melanoma is something we unfortunately have to worry about…

              Make sure you are seeing a specialist and take it from there…

              Even though your initial results are not great, there are many options for you whatever final staging will be. 

              My father also had ulcerated melanoma wild type , but it didn't spread beyond his sentinel node, so don't assume yours will automatically….

              Even if  you get  the least favorable diagnosis , don't panic because there are many successful treatments available now and melanoma can often be treated successfully….

              Good luck!

              Patrisa

               

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