Two Cancers, two Oncologists

With my father, he had a melanoma specialist and lung cancer specialist.  They both did what treatments made sense for their specialties.  After things stabilized, we went to a general oncologist who monitors everything (he has 4 types of cancer).  When it makes sense, we schedule a visit with a specialist.   My father is older than yours and his age made a difference in his treatment.  He did high dose radiation for the lung cancer (3 sessions) and surgery for the melanoma.  He has not done a systemic treatment for melanoma although he is a candidate.  He chooses not to do anything to affect his quality of life.  He has been treated at the Veterans Hospital.  I will say that one of the hardest things to deal with early on was getting one specialist to have a clue about the other cancer.  We actually had an attending in the lung cancer area go out of his way to help us coordinate things at first.  Either my brother or I went to ever visit and paid attention closely because many of the residents (especially) had no idea if one test/treatment would be affected or detrimental to the other cancer.  I'd try hard to keep a good notebook of tests, results and notes and take it with you to every appointment so you can refer to it if a doctor is not familiar with another cancer's particulars.

It's much harder to navigate two cancers, but it can be done.  It just takes a little more time and patience and hopefully, you'll find someone to take an interest and help you navigate all the pitfalls of multiple cancers.

Best wishes,

Janner

With my father, he had a melanoma specialist and lung cancer specialist.  They both did what treatments made sense for their specialties.  After things stabilized, we went to a general oncologist who monitors everything (he has 4 types of cancer).  When it makes sense, we schedule a visit with a specialist.   My father is older than yours and his age made a difference in his treatment.  He did high dose radiation for the lung cancer (3 sessions) and surgery for the melanoma.  He has not done a systemic treatment for melanoma although he is a candidate.  He chooses not to do anything to affect his quality of life.  He has been treated at the Veterans Hospital.  I will say that one of the hardest things to deal with early on was getting one specialist to have a clue about the other cancer.  We actually had an attending in the lung cancer area go out of his way to help us coordinate things at first.  Either my brother or I went to ever visit and paid attention closely because many of the residents (especially) had no idea if one test/treatment would be affected or detrimental to the other cancer.  I'd try hard to keep a good notebook of tests, results and notes and take it with you to every appointment so you can refer to it if a doctor is not familiar with another cancer's particulars.

It's much harder to navigate two cancers, but it can be done.  It just takes a little more time and patience and hopefully, you'll find someone to take an interest and help you navigate all the pitfalls of multiple cancers.

Best wishes,

Janner

With my father, he had a melanoma specialist and lung cancer specialist.  They both did what treatments made sense for their specialties.  After things stabilized, we went to a general oncologist who monitors everything (he has 4 types of cancer).  When it makes sense, we schedule a visit with a specialist.   My father is older than yours and his age made a difference in his treatment.  He did high dose radiation for the lung cancer (3 sessions) and surgery for the melanoma.  He has not done a systemic treatment for melanoma although he is a candidate.  He chooses not to do anything to affect his quality of life.  He has been treated at the Veterans Hospital.  I will say that one of the hardest things to deal with early on was getting one specialist to have a clue about the other cancer.  We actually had an attending in the lung cancer area go out of his way to help us coordinate things at first.  Either my brother or I went to ever visit and paid attention closely because many of the residents (especially) had no idea if one test/treatment would be affected or detrimental to the other cancer.  I'd try hard to keep a good notebook of tests, results and notes and take it with you to every appointment so you can refer to it if a doctor is not familiar with another cancer's particulars.

It's much harder to navigate two cancers, but it can be done.  It just takes a little more time and patience and hopefully, you'll find someone to take an interest and help you navigate all the pitfalls of multiple cancers.

Best wishes,

Janner

Now I understand your remarkable depth of knowledge better. Janner my BRAF/MEK inhibitors are working just fine. My new melanoma is the wild type. This information comes from the yeoman researcher Dr. Keith Flaherty at MGH. So I have four cancers at once like your father. Two melanomas, one squamous, and I must have some basals also as they blast me with nitrogen now and then. I’m a fertile field for skin cancer. This opens me up for all sorts of trials I hope. They have to keep me going as once I am gone, there won’t soon be another like me. Did you lose your dear father?

Now I understand your remarkable depth of knowledge better. Janner my BRAF/MEK inhibitors are working just fine. My new melanoma is the wild type. This information comes from the yeoman researcher Dr. Keith Flaherty at MGH. So I have four cancers at once like your father. Two melanomas, one squamous, and I must have some basals also as they blast me with nitrogen now and then. I’m a fertile field for skin cancer. This opens me up for all sorts of trials I hope. They have to keep me going as once I am gone, there won’t soon be another like me. Did you lose your dear father?

Now I understand your remarkable depth of knowledge better. Janner my BRAF/MEK inhibitors are working just fine. My new melanoma is the wild type. This information comes from the yeoman researcher Dr. Keith Flaherty at MGH. So I have four cancers at once like your father. Two melanomas, one squamous, and I must have some basals also as they blast me with nitrogen now and then. I’m a fertile field for skin cancer. This opens me up for all sorts of trials I hope. They have to keep me going as once I am gone, there won’t soon be another like me. Did you lose your dear father?

I was well into my own melanoma journey long before my adopted father was diagnosed.  Adopted mother, too (in situ).  My knowledge has certainly helped our family deal with all of this – no coming up to speed on the medical jargon for me.  My Dad was diagnosed at age 81 with a stage II lesion.  We only did the WLE because he wouldn't have done a LND or Interferon if her were stage III anyway.  Fastforward 5 years, he had palpable lymph nodes.  Now he has intransits away from the basin.  It's been almost a year since his last scans and I have no idea if he has organ involvement or the state of his disease.  He's 88 and still here.  He's slowed down considerably, but what 88 year old hasn't?  He doesn't talk to me about his disease, he doesn't want it to interfere with life.  He has melanoma, lung cancer, metastatic prostate cancer and thyroid cancer not to mention the other skin cancers that pop up.  The lung, prostate and thyroid cancers seem somewhat stable or at least less pressing than the melanoma now, so that is the main focus.  The only good thing about being as old as he is is that even cancer cells don't replicate as quickly!  For someone as well versed as I was prior to his diagnosis, it just seems ironic to me that he gets this particular cancer, and that it is also likely to be the one that takes him.

How deep was this last primary?

Best wishes,

Janner

Stage IB since 1992, 3 MM primaries

I was well into my own melanoma journey long before my adopted father was diagnosed.  Adopted mother, too (in situ).  My knowledge has certainly helped our family deal with all of this – no coming up to speed on the medical jargon for me.  My Dad was diagnosed at age 81 with a stage II lesion.  We only did the WLE because he wouldn't have done a LND or Interferon if her were stage III anyway.  Fastforward 5 years, he had palpable lymph nodes.  Now he has intransits away from the basin.  It's been almost a year since his last scans and I have no idea if he has organ involvement or the state of his disease.  He's 88 and still here.  He's slowed down considerably, but what 88 year old hasn't?  He doesn't talk to me about his disease, he doesn't want it to interfere with life.  He has melanoma, lung cancer, metastatic prostate cancer and thyroid cancer not to mention the other skin cancers that pop up.  The lung, prostate and thyroid cancers seem somewhat stable or at least less pressing than the melanoma now, so that is the main focus.  The only good thing about being as old as he is is that even cancer cells don't replicate as quickly!  For someone as well versed as I was prior to his diagnosis, it just seems ironic to me that he gets this particular cancer, and that it is also likely to be the one that takes him.

How deep was this last primary?

Best wishes,

Janner

Stage IB since 1992, 3 MM primaries

I was well into my own melanoma journey long before my adopted father was diagnosed.  Adopted mother, too (in situ).  My knowledge has certainly helped our family deal with all of this – no coming up to speed on the medical jargon for me.  My Dad was diagnosed at age 81 with a stage II lesion.  We only did the WLE because he wouldn't have done a LND or Interferon if her were stage III anyway.  Fastforward 5 years, he had palpable lymph nodes.  Now he has intransits away from the basin.  It's been almost a year since his last scans and I have no idea if he has organ involvement or the state of his disease.  He's 88 and still here.  He's slowed down considerably, but what 88 year old hasn't?  He doesn't talk to me about his disease, he doesn't want it to interfere with life.  He has melanoma, lung cancer, metastatic prostate cancer and thyroid cancer not to mention the other skin cancers that pop up.  The lung, prostate and thyroid cancers seem somewhat stable or at least less pressing than the melanoma now, so that is the main focus.  The only good thing about being as old as he is is that even cancer cells don't replicate as quickly!  For someone as well versed as I was prior to his diagnosis, it just seems ironic to me that he gets this particular cancer, and that it is also likely to be the one that takes him.

How deep was this last primary?

Best wishes,

Janner

Stage IB since 1992, 3 MM primaries