› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Thank you all…I think I am OK now!
- This topic has 15 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 10 months ago by
rgrand.
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- May 29, 2014 at 3:46 pm
I am on the mend for my foot skin graft. Looks like my body has decided to slough off the outer layers of the epidermis. My surgeon is "cautiously optimistic" that the deeper layers of skin in the full thickness skin graft are healthy and will grow new skin layers to replace the sloughing skin.
Initially my punch biopsy indicated a Breslow depth of 0.4mm and a Clark level II.
Long story short, I think they removed all my cancer and it doesn't appear to have spread anywhere. For those interested, here's through path report:
FINAL PATHOLOGIC DIAGNOSISA. SENTINEL LYMPH NODE, RIGHT INGUINAL, SENTINEL LYMPH NODE DISSECTION – NEGATIVE FOR MALIGNANCY IN ONE LYMPH NODEB. SKIN, RIGHT PLANTAR FOOT, EXCISION – MALIGNANT MELANOMA, ACRAL TYPE, COMPLETELY EXCISED, SEE COMMENT— BRESLOW DEPTH: 1.03 MM— CLARK LEVEL: III— HOST RESPONSE: PRESENT, NON-BRISK— REGRESSION: NEGATIVE— MITOSES COUNT PER 1 MM2: 1— SATELLITOSIS: NEGATIVE– ANGIOLYMPHATIC INVOLVEMENT: NEGATIVE– PERINEURAL INVASION: NEGATIVE– ULCERATION: NEGATIVE– SURGICAL MARGINS: PERIPHERAL AND DEEP MARGINS ARE NEGATIVE– PATHOLOGIC STAGE:pT2aN0JOHN FITZGERALD KUNKEL M.D.** Report Electronically Signed by JFK ** Comment The melanoma exhibits a spindle morphology. Breslow depth is ascertained on the Melan A stained section.Microscopic Description Hematoxylin and eosin sections of the sentinel lymph node are negative for metastatic melanoma. Further, immunohistochemistry stains, S100 protein and melan A are negative for metastatic melanoma.Thank you all for the support and help. I wish you all the best outcomes possible and will check in from time to time. I will also contribute to the MRF and continue to point others to the website for useful info.i hope to see continued success on all the trials taking place and send all my good thoughts and positive healing vibes!
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- May 31, 2014 at 4:56 am
So very happy for you.
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- June 1, 2014 at 2:14 am
Hi Robert,
I am so glad to hear your good news. Your path report looks as positive as it could be…no ulceration, clean margins, low mitotic rate, and no sign of spreading into lymphatic or neurologic systems.
You will be up on your feet before you know it…doing all of the things you want to do.
Best of luck for a long, healthy, and prosperous life!
Mark from California
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- June 8, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Thank you, Mark, and everyone else. It was especially helpful to talk with you over the phone, Mark. Thank you for that.
In meeting with my plastic surgeon this week he told me that he is in group discussion with all the other doctors who worked on me. I guess they all out their heads together on stuff like this. When they did the excisement on the foot tissue, the surgeon based the margin width on the 0.4mm punch biopsy depth and gave me a 1cm margin. Well, the final biopsy was for a depth of 1.03 mm. He informed me that for that depth they would normally take a 2cm margin. The margin was clear on it though. So we discussed it and rather than going back in and removing more skin at this time we are going to set up regular visits to dermatology to keep an eye on it, and every bit of my skin, to monitor it. Does this seem like a reasonable approach?
My full thickness graft did not take as well as we had hoped. I'm currently shedding the epidermal layers but it appears that ther dermis layer below are, hopefully, surviving. There may be a few patches that will require either more time, or a split thickness graft from my thigh to fix. We will know more in another week or so.
My heart breaks reading the worse outcome of others in this forum. I know my survival rate is good now, but melanoma is a nasty beast that can rear its insidious microscopically initiated head at any time once you have been bitten by this beast. So I will be paying close attention to my body.
I will keep sending positive thoughts to all. Thank you.
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- June 8, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Thank you, Mark, and everyone else. It was especially helpful to talk with you over the phone, Mark. Thank you for that.
In meeting with my plastic surgeon this week he told me that he is in group discussion with all the other doctors who worked on me. I guess they all out their heads together on stuff like this. When they did the excisement on the foot tissue, the surgeon based the margin width on the 0.4mm punch biopsy depth and gave me a 1cm margin. Well, the final biopsy was for a depth of 1.03 mm. He informed me that for that depth they would normally take a 2cm margin. The margin was clear on it though. So we discussed it and rather than going back in and removing more skin at this time we are going to set up regular visits to dermatology to keep an eye on it, and every bit of my skin, to monitor it. Does this seem like a reasonable approach?
My full thickness graft did not take as well as we had hoped. I'm currently shedding the epidermal layers but it appears that ther dermis layer below are, hopefully, surviving. There may be a few patches that will require either more time, or a split thickness graft from my thigh to fix. We will know more in another week or so.
My heart breaks reading the worse outcome of others in this forum. I know my survival rate is good now, but melanoma is a nasty beast that can rear its insidious microscopically initiated head at any time once you have been bitten by this beast. So I will be paying close attention to my body.
I will keep sending positive thoughts to all. Thank you.
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- June 8, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Thank you, Mark, and everyone else. It was especially helpful to talk with you over the phone, Mark. Thank you for that.
In meeting with my plastic surgeon this week he told me that he is in group discussion with all the other doctors who worked on me. I guess they all out their heads together on stuff like this. When they did the excisement on the foot tissue, the surgeon based the margin width on the 0.4mm punch biopsy depth and gave me a 1cm margin. Well, the final biopsy was for a depth of 1.03 mm. He informed me that for that depth they would normally take a 2cm margin. The margin was clear on it though. So we discussed it and rather than going back in and removing more skin at this time we are going to set up regular visits to dermatology to keep an eye on it, and every bit of my skin, to monitor it. Does this seem like a reasonable approach?
My full thickness graft did not take as well as we had hoped. I'm currently shedding the epidermal layers but it appears that ther dermis layer below are, hopefully, surviving. There may be a few patches that will require either more time, or a split thickness graft from my thigh to fix. We will know more in another week or so.
My heart breaks reading the worse outcome of others in this forum. I know my survival rate is good now, but melanoma is a nasty beast that can rear its insidious microscopically initiated head at any time once you have been bitten by this beast. So I will be paying close attention to my body.
I will keep sending positive thoughts to all. Thank you.
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- June 1, 2014 at 2:14 am
Hi Robert,
I am so glad to hear your good news. Your path report looks as positive as it could be…no ulceration, clean margins, low mitotic rate, and no sign of spreading into lymphatic or neurologic systems.
You will be up on your feet before you know it…doing all of the things you want to do.
Best of luck for a long, healthy, and prosperous life!
Mark from California
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- June 1, 2014 at 2:14 am
Hi Robert,
I am so glad to hear your good news. Your path report looks as positive as it could be…no ulceration, clean margins, low mitotic rate, and no sign of spreading into lymphatic or neurologic systems.
You will be up on your feet before you know it…doing all of the things you want to do.
Best of luck for a long, healthy, and prosperous life!
Mark from California
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- May 31, 2014 at 4:56 am
So very happy for you.
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- May 31, 2014 at 4:56 am
So very happy for you.
Tagged: acral, cutaneous melanoma
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