WallyE

Hello Mike. Just to share my personal experience. My history is on file. I had Melanoma in the middle lobe of my right lung in 2010. Primary was a mole behind my right ear removed in 2006.Bot were surgery resected. It spread to my stomach in 2015. Six months later it re-occurred on the same lobe and a furher op was done over the same scar to remove it. Both tumors were in the region of 5 to 7 cm long x 2 to 3 cm wide. Due to its size my stomach was totally removed. I lost 35 Kg in the process. I was put on a course of Interferon for 3 months bjut despite that in 2016 it progressed to a 7cm by 5cm tumor that attached itself to my Pancreas, Colon and Spleen. The spleen was removed and portions of my colon and pancreas were removed in November 2016 resulting in a hospital a stay from 23/11/2016 to 3/1 2017 (spending Christmas and New Year there. Horrible! Despite that a post op pet scan indicated a further 3 spots in my stomach area lining. I just finished a course of 4 IPI infusions every 21 days. Melanoma is a very tricky devil. Your question is related to the op itself, I can assure you it is a major operation cut the cut id long (about 14cm from behind your shoulder blades to close to your stomach, They do have to crack a rib (3 times in my case) to enable them to access the lungs. Your lungs are deflated and you are put on a  occurring but this is more of an irritation for 2 days in my case as my lungs failed to inflate at the second attempt, I did not experience any significant pain discomfort. I spent 2 1/2 weeks in hospital on both  the lung ops and stomach op. The last one in Nov 2016 was the worst as my Colon developed a leak and a serious infection resulting in the long stay. As of today I am very well with only the side effects of the IPI still manifesting itself. Had a Pet Scan yesterday to see whether or not the last 3 spots have disappeared. The op was the best option but be aware that in my case it was not a cure but it has extended my life dramatically. I feel very good despite all the drama. I really wish you well and pray that you have a successful op and a good recovery. No one can predict whether or not it will metastasize but that is a risk one has to take. Please do not for one moment let my response influence any decision you take. This as my personal experience and the bottom line is that it effects every one differently. Good luck and God bless you and all other members on this forum. We all fight the same battle and we will win!

I do not think anyone can say with certainty that it will not re-occur.

My personal experience is that I had a mole removed from my right ear in 2006 which was in-situ. I was assured this was totally clear and no recurrance would manifest itself.

In 2011 I developed melanoma in my right lung (mets) and had the middle lobe removed.

In 2015 it spread to my stomach and they removed my stomach in total

In 2016 it spread to my Pancreas / Colon and I had major surgery to remove it.

In 2017 I had a scan to monitor the healing process ind another three tumors were detected.

Further operationbs are no longer an option. I am now on IPI

So, I would be pretty circumspect.

Regards

It probably differs from person to person but in my circumstances blood count tests mean zilch. In 2011 I had a melanoma tumor removed from the middle lobe of my right lung. The primary was a mole behind my right ear lobe which was removed in 2006. The histological report indicated In Situ Melanoma with clear margins. Apart from the usual scans and x-rays every 6 months thereafter I also had blood tests. In 2015 the blood test, as usual, indicated no cause for alarm and I was told that I could reduce my visits to annual as I was considered NED. What a relief!. Two weeks later I developed severe stomach cramps in my stomach with blood in my stool. I was tested for a hernia, heart disease, reflux – you name it, I was tested for it. It got to the point where a scope had to be done and I was told I had an unusually large stomach ulcer. Luckily the surgeon who did the scope had a sample biopsied for "just in case" The blood he tested at that stage was also tested or a PSA reading at my request as I had never had this tested before. Prostate cancer was detected and while I was waiting to be discharged from hospital after a Brachytherapy procedure on my prostate, the surgeon rocked up to inform me that what was thought to be an ulcer was, in fact, a melanoma tumor in my stomach. The result was total removal of my stomach as the tumor was 7×4 cm so they could not remove it in isolation.I had chemo for 6 months and so far am NED. I lost 30 Kg in the process since November last year. I have not gained any weight since then.

So, in my opinion and my personal circumstances blood count cannot be relied on in isolation and I now insist on full pet scans / MRI / X-rays every 6 months.

I am not saying the same will apply to you as I do believe that in countries other than South Africa the tests are probably more sophisticated than ours. We do not, as far as I have been able to establish, have any Mel Specialists in this country, only ordinary Oncologists who deal with all facets of cancer.