Swollen Neck Lymphnode below WLE site
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Swollen Neck Lymphnode below WLE site

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Swollen Neck Lymphnode below WLE site

  • Post
    • April 18, 2012 at 5:12 am
    ckratina
    Participant

    I was recently diagnosed with Melanoma in situ on my neck in March of this year.  Had WLE performed a couple of weeks later and pathology report came back clear.  I now have developed  a swollen lymph node directly  below the Incision.  Should I be concerned or am i just being paranoid?

    I was recently diagnosed with Melanoma in situ on my neck in March of this year.  Had WLE performed a couple of weeks later and pathology report came back clear.  I now have developed  a swollen lymph node directly  below the Incision.  Should I be concerned or am i just being paranoid? The original biopsy was done with a shave rather than excision even though my derm suspected it was a melanoma.  I understand that melanoma in situ is located in the epidermis and non invasive.  The surgical oncologist told me that he was going to take 1 cm margins because the melanoma was in the margins of the orginal biopsy.  I am going back to the surgical oncologist for a follow up visit in 1 week.

Viewing 8 reply threads
  • Replies
      • April 18, 2012 at 8:30 am
      LynnLuc
      Participant

      I'd get it checked out just to be certain. Did they do any scans or just the shave biopsy?

        • April 18, 2012 at 11:25 am
        ckratina
        Participant

        No scans were done.  Just the shave biopsy followed by WLE 2 weeks later.  I need to get the orginal path report from the derms office.  Thanks for your response.  I will found out more on Tues. of the coming week.

        • April 18, 2012 at 11:25 am
        ckratina
        Participant

        No scans were done.  Just the shave biopsy followed by WLE 2 weeks later.  I need to get the orginal path report from the derms office.  Thanks for your response.  I will found out more on Tues. of the coming week.

        • April 18, 2012 at 11:25 am
        ckratina
        Participant

        No scans were done.  Just the shave biopsy followed by WLE 2 weeks later.  I need to get the orginal path report from the derms office.  Thanks for your response.  I will found out more on Tues. of the coming week.

      • April 18, 2012 at 8:30 am
      LynnLuc
      Participant

      I'd get it checked out just to be certain. Did they do any scans or just the shave biopsy?

      • April 18, 2012 at 8:30 am
      LynnLuc
      Participant

      I'd get it checked out just to be certain. Did they do any scans or just the shave biopsy?

      • April 18, 2012 at 1:10 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      Neck nodes swell more than any other nodes – for many reasons.  Most of the time, we don't even feel sick.  Since you've had recent "trauma" in the area, it's most likely related to that.  The WLE, not the melanoma itself is most likely the cause.  Melanoma in situ – once excised – has close to 100% cure rate.  So the odds that your melanoma itself has cause swelling — especially in such a short time period from the excision — I'd say is EXTREMELY unlikely.  It is also possible to have "reactive nodes".  These are lymph nodes that swell for whatever reason (illness/trauma) and then don't return to their normal size.  They aren't cancer, they just don't behave themselves.  My advice is to stop touching the node.  Your touching is likely to irritate it more and slow any healing.  When you see your doc in a week, he will evaluate it and may either observe it longer since you are so close to your WLE surgery, or put you on antibiotics to see if there is some type of infection causing the swelling.  It's easy to be paranoid when newly diagnosed, but the reality is most things are NOT related to melanoma especially when your melanoma was in situ.  The key for the future is vigilance, but not paranoia.  It is easier to strike that balance the further out from diagnosis you get.

      Hang in there,

      Janner

      • April 18, 2012 at 1:10 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      Neck nodes swell more than any other nodes – for many reasons.  Most of the time, we don't even feel sick.  Since you've had recent "trauma" in the area, it's most likely related to that.  The WLE, not the melanoma itself is most likely the cause.  Melanoma in situ – once excised – has close to 100% cure rate.  So the odds that your melanoma itself has cause swelling — especially in such a short time period from the excision — I'd say is EXTREMELY unlikely.  It is also possible to have "reactive nodes".  These are lymph nodes that swell for whatever reason (illness/trauma) and then don't return to their normal size.  They aren't cancer, they just don't behave themselves.  My advice is to stop touching the node.  Your touching is likely to irritate it more and slow any healing.  When you see your doc in a week, he will evaluate it and may either observe it longer since you are so close to your WLE surgery, or put you on antibiotics to see if there is some type of infection causing the swelling.  It's easy to be paranoid when newly diagnosed, but the reality is most things are NOT related to melanoma especially when your melanoma was in situ.  The key for the future is vigilance, but not paranoia.  It is easier to strike that balance the further out from diagnosis you get.

      Hang in there,

      Janner

      • April 18, 2012 at 1:10 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      Neck nodes swell more than any other nodes – for many reasons.  Most of the time, we don't even feel sick.  Since you've had recent "trauma" in the area, it's most likely related to that.  The WLE, not the melanoma itself is most likely the cause.  Melanoma in situ – once excised – has close to 100% cure rate.  So the odds that your melanoma itself has cause swelling — especially in such a short time period from the excision — I'd say is EXTREMELY unlikely.  It is also possible to have "reactive nodes".  These are lymph nodes that swell for whatever reason (illness/trauma) and then don't return to their normal size.  They aren't cancer, they just don't behave themselves.  My advice is to stop touching the node.  Your touching is likely to irritate it more and slow any healing.  When you see your doc in a week, he will evaluate it and may either observe it longer since you are so close to your WLE surgery, or put you on antibiotics to see if there is some type of infection causing the swelling.  It's easy to be paranoid when newly diagnosed, but the reality is most things are NOT related to melanoma especially when your melanoma was in situ.  The key for the future is vigilance, but not paranoia.  It is easier to strike that balance the further out from diagnosis you get.

      Hang in there,

      Janner

      • April 19, 2012 at 8:52 pm
      mlbjab
      Participant

      The node closest to my melanoma swelled after WLE, in my case, it must have been from the incision.  It has remained swollen but the same size ever since (for years).

      • April 19, 2012 at 8:52 pm
      mlbjab
      Participant

      The node closest to my melanoma swelled after WLE, in my case, it must have been from the incision.  It has remained swollen but the same size ever since (for years).

      • April 19, 2012 at 8:52 pm
      mlbjab
      Participant

      The node closest to my melanoma swelled after WLE, in my case, it must have been from the incision.  It has remained swollen but the same size ever since (for years).

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