When I was 15 I had a problem with inflammed lymph nodes in my right axilla. The decision was made to operate, because of possible cancer. When the operation was in process the surgeons decided to perform a radical lymphadenctomy because they believed that it was cancer. An analysis of the biopsy, however, did not show evidence of cancer. Later in the summer I had a lesion appear on my lip that was diagnosed as a granuloma pyogenicum.
When I was 15 I had a problem with inflammed lymph nodes in my right axilla. The decision was made to operate, because of possible cancer. When the operation was in process the surgeons decided to perform a radical lymphadenctomy because they believed that it was cancer. An analysis of the biopsy, however, did not show evidence of cancer. Later in the summer I had a lesion appear on my lip that was diagnosed as a granuloma pyogenicum. These are not easily distinguishable from amelanotic melanoma. At 62, I was diagnosed with Stage II cancer of the breast, and, at 71, Stage IV melanoma, unknown primary, which had landed in my lung.
I had a nephew die of metastatic melanoma in 1997 at the age of 29. He also had a melanoma of unknown primary, which was caught for the first time in the left axillary area. H, like me, also had a radical lmphadenectomy and he was then diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma. I remember before he was diagnosed his showing me the area under his arm, and I encouraged him to see a doctor, while at the same time telling him that I suspected that he was probably dealing with the same thing I had at the age of 15. Interesting, too, was that the original diagnosis he got after his operation was lymphoma, which then got changed to melanoma. (My mother died of presumed lymphoma at 93, though the lymphoma was never biopsied.) He was 27 at the time of appearance.
My mother had stage 1 melanoma of the skin as did two of my first cousins on her side and an aunt same side died of pancreatic cancer. So a good case for familial melanoma.
But I wonder about the remote possibility that I originally had melanoma at 15, it receded and returned at age 71. What about the biopsies that said I did not have cancer? I wonder how well the art and science of biopsy was developed in 1956, the year chemotherapy was first used, and whether, since the pathologist would probably never have been looking for a melanoma first appearing in the lymph nodes and the differential diagnosis of the granuloma and melanoma is even so difficult today, it could have been missed With the family history, you can believe my wife and I were personally very cautious about the development of skin melanoma through the years and I had annual full body checks with a dermatologist.Nothing of any kind ever showed up before the Stage IV diagnosis.
Speculation never to be confirmed and maybe there is good reason to think it's an impossible scenario I am painting.. I know it's all very unlikely, but could it be?
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