› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Can you please help me with some information? New diagnosis
- This topic has 24 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 10 months ago by
Deborah77.
- Post
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- April 17, 2014 at 5:25 am
Thankful for this site. It was the first thing I came across when Googling. The positive stories and photos are making me feel ok.
I have just left the GP's office for my test results and am so confused. A mole I had removed under doctor's orders has come back malignant, and now I have to wait to see if it has spread.
I am quite shocked, and trying to keep a happy face for my children. Husband is at work.
She said I would be contacted within two weeks for an MRI and further testing.
If I post the microscopic description, I hope there is someone who will be able to give me some further info, good or bad. I work in the arts – have always failed science and it all makes no sense to me – apart from the word malignant. I know that's not good.
Also, how does everyone know what stage they are? I wasn't told. How can I find out?
Ok, here is the microscopic description:
Sections reveal a melanocytic lesion which has an assymetrical architecture and in areas a poorly circumscribed peripheral margin. A lentiginous growth pattern predominates with epithelioid melanocytes and focally there is early confluence of the junctional lentiginous melanocytic proliferation. Isolated foci of pagetoid change are seen and there are a few nests of melanocytes at the dermoepidural junction. In a perifollicular region there is mild fibrosis and pigmentary incontinence. A benign melanocytic naevus is seen on the deeper sections and this is clear of the margins. Focally there is fibrosis and chronic inflammation, consitent with regression.
Conclusion: Left clavicular area. Malignant melanoma in situ extends to .7mm from the closest peripheral margin.
Does that make sense to anyone??
If it's bad just tell me. Honestly I would prefer to know. At the moment I have to wait for up to two weeks to hear from someone who will be able to book an appointment for me. Ugh. Torturous right? And it's Good Friday tomorrow, so no chance of hearing anything soon I would imagine.
The thing that is freaking me out, is I have been feeling awful for about two years. The GPs kept putting it down to my vegetarianism, despite my iron levels being fine. Or a virus. Is this why?
I will stop rambling now. Sorry. I just walked in from the GP, put the television on to keep youngest child occupied and proceeded to Google. I'm not usually quite so verbose. Thank you if you got this far. I think I'm just shocked.
- Replies
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- April 17, 2014 at 10:42 am
Well, if melanoma is the ugly black cancer, you are on the brightest side of darkness that there is. Take a deep breath. Based on your description your melanoma hasn't become invasive yet and it was caught early with a very high cure rate.
In-situ means just that, while it was cancerous, it hasn't spread to any deeper skin layers and has the lowest chance of spreading. It just hasn't made it to where the blood vessels or lymphatic system is to spread it. Yours is probably on the border of really ugly looking mole / true melanoma. Regression is a good thing. It means your immune system has recognized the tumor and is responding to it.
The waiting always is excruciating.
Right now the plan of action would to take wider margins to ensure the entire lesion has been removed. At you depth and with no ulceration, regression, or high mitotic index you are more likely to have a second one in the future rather than spread from this one.
Wide excision with skin exams by a dermatologist (one that can do a thorough exam – tell them your diagnosis) is your probable course of action. Practice sun safety and get to know your moles / freckles and look for change.
No scans or lymph node biopsy is required at this time.
Your chance of cure is close to 98%. Just have your family checked and slather on the sunscreen.
Tiredness can be for so many other reasons and is most likely NOT due to melanoma. Check your other vitamin / mineral status especially if you are vegan. More than iron issues can occur as a result of eating that way, but are overcomeable with good nutrition. Yes viruses like mono, tick born diseases can cause chroinc fatiuge, fibromyalgia etc. I am sure this added worry isn't helping.
Janner will probably chime in. She has a great site for stage I / early stage patients. Please remember most people on this site are the exception when it comes to spread from shallow lesions like yours. Your fear is very real and that is normal. It gets better with time, but don't let this site scare you.
I am stage IV and am enjoying a durable remission and will probably never hear from melanoma again. This to is rare, but with the great new drugs and research over just the past 2 years, the survival statistics are no longer valid. They have gotten better.
Speak with your husband in private so you can have a united informed approach when telling your family. It is scary, but you will probably be suprised at the support they give you. Unless dysfunctional, I would be upset if a family member kept that to themselves because I love them, and would do anything to help in carrying such a heavy burden alone.
Chances are they already know something serious is up, they just don't know what it is.
PS – make sure your slides are being read by a dermatopathologist. They have advanced training interpreting skin biopsies and will give a very thorough second opinion. Also take someone along with you for appointments. Getting news like that causes most people to shut down and become a deer in the headlights. A second person or a recording of the visit helps you to review if you missed anything that was said. Keep all reports together for your records just in case you need them later.
Hugs,
Kim
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- April 17, 2014 at 10:42 am
Well, if melanoma is the ugly black cancer, you are on the brightest side of darkness that there is. Take a deep breath. Based on your description your melanoma hasn't become invasive yet and it was caught early with a very high cure rate.
In-situ means just that, while it was cancerous, it hasn't spread to any deeper skin layers and has the lowest chance of spreading. It just hasn't made it to where the blood vessels or lymphatic system is to spread it. Yours is probably on the border of really ugly looking mole / true melanoma. Regression is a good thing. It means your immune system has recognized the tumor and is responding to it.
The waiting always is excruciating.
Right now the plan of action would to take wider margins to ensure the entire lesion has been removed. At you depth and with no ulceration, regression, or high mitotic index you are more likely to have a second one in the future rather than spread from this one.
Wide excision with skin exams by a dermatologist (one that can do a thorough exam – tell them your diagnosis) is your probable course of action. Practice sun safety and get to know your moles / freckles and look for change.
No scans or lymph node biopsy is required at this time.
Your chance of cure is close to 98%. Just have your family checked and slather on the sunscreen.
Tiredness can be for so many other reasons and is most likely NOT due to melanoma. Check your other vitamin / mineral status especially if you are vegan. More than iron issues can occur as a result of eating that way, but are overcomeable with good nutrition. Yes viruses like mono, tick born diseases can cause chroinc fatiuge, fibromyalgia etc. I am sure this added worry isn't helping.
Janner will probably chime in. She has a great site for stage I / early stage patients. Please remember most people on this site are the exception when it comes to spread from shallow lesions like yours. Your fear is very real and that is normal. It gets better with time, but don't let this site scare you.
I am stage IV and am enjoying a durable remission and will probably never hear from melanoma again. This to is rare, but with the great new drugs and research over just the past 2 years, the survival statistics are no longer valid. They have gotten better.
Speak with your husband in private so you can have a united informed approach when telling your family. It is scary, but you will probably be suprised at the support they give you. Unless dysfunctional, I would be upset if a family member kept that to themselves because I love them, and would do anything to help in carrying such a heavy burden alone.
Chances are they already know something serious is up, they just don't know what it is.
PS – make sure your slides are being read by a dermatopathologist. They have advanced training interpreting skin biopsies and will give a very thorough second opinion. Also take someone along with you for appointments. Getting news like that causes most people to shut down and become a deer in the headlights. A second person or a recording of the visit helps you to review if you missed anything that was said. Keep all reports together for your records just in case you need them later.
Hugs,
Kim
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- April 17, 2014 at 10:42 am
Well, if melanoma is the ugly black cancer, you are on the brightest side of darkness that there is. Take a deep breath. Based on your description your melanoma hasn't become invasive yet and it was caught early with a very high cure rate.
In-situ means just that, while it was cancerous, it hasn't spread to any deeper skin layers and has the lowest chance of spreading. It just hasn't made it to where the blood vessels or lymphatic system is to spread it. Yours is probably on the border of really ugly looking mole / true melanoma. Regression is a good thing. It means your immune system has recognized the tumor and is responding to it.
The waiting always is excruciating.
Right now the plan of action would to take wider margins to ensure the entire lesion has been removed. At you depth and with no ulceration, regression, or high mitotic index you are more likely to have a second one in the future rather than spread from this one.
Wide excision with skin exams by a dermatologist (one that can do a thorough exam – tell them your diagnosis) is your probable course of action. Practice sun safety and get to know your moles / freckles and look for change.
No scans or lymph node biopsy is required at this time.
Your chance of cure is close to 98%. Just have your family checked and slather on the sunscreen.
Tiredness can be for so many other reasons and is most likely NOT due to melanoma. Check your other vitamin / mineral status especially if you are vegan. More than iron issues can occur as a result of eating that way, but are overcomeable with good nutrition. Yes viruses like mono, tick born diseases can cause chroinc fatiuge, fibromyalgia etc. I am sure this added worry isn't helping.
Janner will probably chime in. She has a great site for stage I / early stage patients. Please remember most people on this site are the exception when it comes to spread from shallow lesions like yours. Your fear is very real and that is normal. It gets better with time, but don't let this site scare you.
I am stage IV and am enjoying a durable remission and will probably never hear from melanoma again. This to is rare, but with the great new drugs and research over just the past 2 years, the survival statistics are no longer valid. They have gotten better.
Speak with your husband in private so you can have a united informed approach when telling your family. It is scary, but you will probably be suprised at the support they give you. Unless dysfunctional, I would be upset if a family member kept that to themselves because I love them, and would do anything to help in carrying such a heavy burden alone.
Chances are they already know something serious is up, they just don't know what it is.
PS – make sure your slides are being read by a dermatopathologist. They have advanced training interpreting skin biopsies and will give a very thorough second opinion. Also take someone along with you for appointments. Getting news like that causes most people to shut down and become a deer in the headlights. A second person or a recording of the visit helps you to review if you missed anything that was said. Keep all reports together for your records just in case you need them later.
Hugs,
Kim
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- April 17, 2014 at 11:59 am
Deborah,
Kim has given you some great information and hopefully Janner will chime in soon also. You have done a great job so far. Finding this mole early like you did is fantastic and finding this website was another great move. You are doing all the right things. Your big challenge for the future will be awareness of your skin changes. Finding a really good dermatologist would be another recommendation. Hang in there Deborah. You are going to be just fine.
Brian
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- April 17, 2014 at 11:59 am
Deborah,
Kim has given you some great information and hopefully Janner will chime in soon also. You have done a great job so far. Finding this mole early like you did is fantastic and finding this website was another great move. You are doing all the right things. Your big challenge for the future will be awareness of your skin changes. Finding a really good dermatologist would be another recommendation. Hang in there Deborah. You are going to be just fine.
Brian
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- April 17, 2014 at 11:59 am
Deborah,
Kim has given you some great information and hopefully Janner will chime in soon also. You have done a great job so far. Finding this mole early like you did is fantastic and finding this website was another great move. You are doing all the right things. Your big challenge for the future will be awareness of your skin changes. Finding a really good dermatologist would be another recommendation. Hang in there Deborah. You are going to be just fine.
Brian
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- April 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Microscopic description – basically this is the scientific section where the pathologist justifies his diagnosis. Analyzing it line by line really doesn't accomplish anything because it's the sum of all the parts that make up the diagnosis
Melanoma in situ is stage 0 by definition.
"now I have to wait to see if it has spread". You have an extremely low risk lesion confined to the epidermis that has clean margins. As stated above, there are no blood or lymph vessels in the epidermis. You are not "waiting to see if this has spread", you are waiting to have appropriate margins taken surgically to complete your treatment – that's it.
Typically, melanoma in situ needs AT LEAST 5mm margins and you have .7mm margins. So you can see, they will need to go back in and take more tissue. After this is done, that's it. This is called the WLE (wide local excision). The WLE is basically the only treatment for melanoma in situ. No scans, no lymph node checks, nothing else except surgical excision. Depending on the location, it really can be a "wide" excision so just be prepared.
This melanoma has nothing to do with your "feeling awful". This is confined to the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis. It's not systemic, not causing you any other problems than what is localized to this one spot. I will say that having a weakened immune system is not good in regards to melanoma. Melanoma is very tied to the immune system and immune suppressed people are much more likely to get melanoma. But this is more typically tied to people who have been diagnosed with auto-immune disorders or people like organ transplant recipients where their immune system is chemically suppressed..
So this is a wakeup call. Take care of yourself. Take care of your skin (and that of your kids). Sun safety. Watch moles for CHANGE!!! Have the WLE and then move on. You're unlikely to deal with melanoma again. For the future, you will just need periodic skin checks, no treatments, nothing else. I might consider finding a good dermatologist instead of your GP for future skin checks, but that is up to you. Whatever makes you comfortable!
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Microscopic description – basically this is the scientific section where the pathologist justifies his diagnosis. Analyzing it line by line really doesn't accomplish anything because it's the sum of all the parts that make up the diagnosis
Melanoma in situ is stage 0 by definition.
"now I have to wait to see if it has spread". You have an extremely low risk lesion confined to the epidermis that has clean margins. As stated above, there are no blood or lymph vessels in the epidermis. You are not "waiting to see if this has spread", you are waiting to have appropriate margins taken surgically to complete your treatment – that's it.
Typically, melanoma in situ needs AT LEAST 5mm margins and you have .7mm margins. So you can see, they will need to go back in and take more tissue. After this is done, that's it. This is called the WLE (wide local excision). The WLE is basically the only treatment for melanoma in situ. No scans, no lymph node checks, nothing else except surgical excision. Depending on the location, it really can be a "wide" excision so just be prepared.
This melanoma has nothing to do with your "feeling awful". This is confined to the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis. It's not systemic, not causing you any other problems than what is localized to this one spot. I will say that having a weakened immune system is not good in regards to melanoma. Melanoma is very tied to the immune system and immune suppressed people are much more likely to get melanoma. But this is more typically tied to people who have been diagnosed with auto-immune disorders or people like organ transplant recipients where their immune system is chemically suppressed..
So this is a wakeup call. Take care of yourself. Take care of your skin (and that of your kids). Sun safety. Watch moles for CHANGE!!! Have the WLE and then move on. You're unlikely to deal with melanoma again. For the future, you will just need periodic skin checks, no treatments, nothing else. I might consider finding a good dermatologist instead of your GP for future skin checks, but that is up to you. Whatever makes you comfortable!
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Microscopic description – basically this is the scientific section where the pathologist justifies his diagnosis. Analyzing it line by line really doesn't accomplish anything because it's the sum of all the parts that make up the diagnosis
Melanoma in situ is stage 0 by definition.
"now I have to wait to see if it has spread". You have an extremely low risk lesion confined to the epidermis that has clean margins. As stated above, there are no blood or lymph vessels in the epidermis. You are not "waiting to see if this has spread", you are waiting to have appropriate margins taken surgically to complete your treatment – that's it.
Typically, melanoma in situ needs AT LEAST 5mm margins and you have .7mm margins. So you can see, they will need to go back in and take more tissue. After this is done, that's it. This is called the WLE (wide local excision). The WLE is basically the only treatment for melanoma in situ. No scans, no lymph node checks, nothing else except surgical excision. Depending on the location, it really can be a "wide" excision so just be prepared.
This melanoma has nothing to do with your "feeling awful". This is confined to the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis. It's not systemic, not causing you any other problems than what is localized to this one spot. I will say that having a weakened immune system is not good in regards to melanoma. Melanoma is very tied to the immune system and immune suppressed people are much more likely to get melanoma. But this is more typically tied to people who have been diagnosed with auto-immune disorders or people like organ transplant recipients where their immune system is chemically suppressed..
So this is a wakeup call. Take care of yourself. Take care of your skin (and that of your kids). Sun safety. Watch moles for CHANGE!!! Have the WLE and then move on. You're unlikely to deal with melanoma again. For the future, you will just need periodic skin checks, no treatments, nothing else. I might consider finding a good dermatologist instead of your GP for future skin checks, but that is up to you. Whatever makes you comfortable!
Best wishes,
Janner
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- April 18, 2014 at 11:50 pm
Hi Deborah,
I was diagnosed last October with stage 3A. I joined the board last month and it's been a godsend. You're at the right place for asking questions. You'll find many helpful people and good information.
Your particular diagnoses sounds encouraging. And I do agree, the waiting is the worse.
You'll be fine. I've learned to embrace life a bit more than before.
Well wishes to you and your family and remember to hug those dearest to you all the more tighter..
We're all in this together and each day that passes a step closer to beating this disease.
Michael
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- April 18, 2014 at 11:50 pm
Hi Deborah,
I was diagnosed last October with stage 3A. I joined the board last month and it's been a godsend. You're at the right place for asking questions. You'll find many helpful people and good information.
Your particular diagnoses sounds encouraging. And I do agree, the waiting is the worse.
You'll be fine. I've learned to embrace life a bit more than before.
Well wishes to you and your family and remember to hug those dearest to you all the more tighter..
We're all in this together and each day that passes a step closer to beating this disease.
Michael
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Thank you so much kind people.
So sorry I haven't been back. My laptop blew up when I had just finished grading all my papers. It's with the IT gurus now who will hopefully be able to retrieve something.
We are very into dark humour in this house and my husband and I have been making dark, probably inappropriate jokes about my laptop dying. I won't repeat them incase I offend, but it seems to be a coping mechanism?
I am now posting from my phone so I apologise for typos.
Thank you so much for helping me with that. The more I think about it, the more irked I am with the way the GP handled it all. My lovely regular GP was on leave. This one was in a rush. Not good.
I am sorry to hear that some of you have had hard to hear diagnoses. You are very kind to have responded and to be helping others.
I will let you know how I get on. The thing is, I love the sun and feel gloomy in winter, but this has been an enormous wake up call to me. I should have known better with my pale English skin.
I have not spoken to anyone in real life apart from my husband. Over Easter family members saw my scar (it's up near my shoulder/neck) and very hard to hide and I lied and said everything is fine. Why? I hate fuss and I especially hate people feeling sorry for me. I now wonder whether my relationships are rubbish, or is this a common thing? Not sure.
Anyway, thanks again. Also, am I posting in the right place?
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Michael – you are so right about hugging loved ones tighter. I am usually quite a strict parent, but over Easter I let my children eat nothing but chocolate and pizza for an entire day.
Back to the healthy stuff tomorrow though.
I keep stopping them and hugging them. My 14 year old is NOT thrilled 🙂
All the best to you Michael.
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:42 pm
Big thank you to Kim and Janner for your wisdom.
I appreciate it more than I can express.
And thank you Brian for your lovely words of encouragement.
I hope you are all just fine too.
You all sound so calm and wise. I'm still slightly hysterical, which is not me at all usually. I am usually the quiet, calm one but this has shook me to my core.
I thought 'well I'll be ok, I'm so young' and then I realised 'hang on, I'm not any more!'
i don't want to talk about it to anyone in real life, but I come on here and talk and talk ( and waffle).
I have faith, but haven't been able to pray beyond 'Heal me please'.
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Also in a weird coincidence I was at the GP originally for a referral to a dermatologist as my hair has been falling out quite severely. I have lost half my hair in the past few months 🙁
I wasn't able to get an appointment for two months. Is this a normal waiting time? Or do you think I should try somewhere else?
I agree waiting sucks.
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Also in a weird coincidence I was at the GP originally for a referral to a dermatologist as my hair has been falling out quite severely. I have lost half my hair in the past few months 🙁
I wasn't able to get an appointment for two months. Is this a normal waiting time? Or do you think I should try somewhere else?
I agree waiting sucks.
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:52 pm
Also in a weird coincidence I was at the GP originally for a referral to a dermatologist as my hair has been falling out quite severely. I have lost half my hair in the past few months 🙁
I wasn't able to get an appointment for two months. Is this a normal waiting time? Or do you think I should try somewhere else?
I agree waiting sucks.
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- April 21, 2014 at 3:42 pm
Big thank you to Kim and Janner for your wisdom.
I appreciate it more than I can express.
And thank you Brian for your lovely words of encouragement.
I hope you are all just fine too.
You all sound so calm and wise. I'm still slightly hysterical, which is not me at all usually. I am usually the quiet, calm one but this has shook me to my core.
I thought 'well I'll be ok, I'm so young' and then I realised 'hang on, I'm not any more!'
i don't want to talk about it to anyone in real life, but I come on here and talk and talk ( and waffle).
I have faith, but haven't been able to pray beyond 'Heal me please'.
-
- April 21, 2014 at 3:42 pm
Big thank you to Kim and Janner for your wisdom.
I appreciate it more than I can express.
And thank you Brian for your lovely words of encouragement.
I hope you are all just fine too.
You all sound so calm and wise. I'm still slightly hysterical, which is not me at all usually. I am usually the quiet, calm one but this has shook me to my core.
I thought 'well I'll be ok, I'm so young' and then I realised 'hang on, I'm not any more!'
i don't want to talk about it to anyone in real life, but I come on here and talk and talk ( and waffle).
I have faith, but haven't been able to pray beyond 'Heal me please'.
-
- April 21, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Michael – you are so right about hugging loved ones tighter. I am usually quite a strict parent, but over Easter I let my children eat nothing but chocolate and pizza for an entire day.
Back to the healthy stuff tomorrow though.
I keep stopping them and hugging them. My 14 year old is NOT thrilled 🙂
All the best to you Michael.
-
- April 21, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Michael – you are so right about hugging loved ones tighter. I am usually quite a strict parent, but over Easter I let my children eat nothing but chocolate and pizza for an entire day.
Back to the healthy stuff tomorrow though.
I keep stopping them and hugging them. My 14 year old is NOT thrilled 🙂
All the best to you Michael.
-
- April 21, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Thank you so much kind people.
So sorry I haven't been back. My laptop blew up when I had just finished grading all my papers. It's with the IT gurus now who will hopefully be able to retrieve something.
We are very into dark humour in this house and my husband and I have been making dark, probably inappropriate jokes about my laptop dying. I won't repeat them incase I offend, but it seems to be a coping mechanism?
I am now posting from my phone so I apologise for typos.
Thank you so much for helping me with that. The more I think about it, the more irked I am with the way the GP handled it all. My lovely regular GP was on leave. This one was in a rush. Not good.
I am sorry to hear that some of you have had hard to hear diagnoses. You are very kind to have responded and to be helping others.
I will let you know how I get on. The thing is, I love the sun and feel gloomy in winter, but this has been an enormous wake up call to me. I should have known better with my pale English skin.
I have not spoken to anyone in real life apart from my husband. Over Easter family members saw my scar (it's up near my shoulder/neck) and very hard to hide and I lied and said everything is fine. Why? I hate fuss and I especially hate people feeling sorry for me. I now wonder whether my relationships are rubbish, or is this a common thing? Not sure.
Anyway, thanks again. Also, am I posting in the right place?
-
- April 21, 2014 at 3:30 pm
Thank you so much kind people.
So sorry I haven't been back. My laptop blew up when I had just finished grading all my papers. It's with the IT gurus now who will hopefully be able to retrieve something.
We are very into dark humour in this house and my husband and I have been making dark, probably inappropriate jokes about my laptop dying. I won't repeat them incase I offend, but it seems to be a coping mechanism?
I am now posting from my phone so I apologise for typos.
Thank you so much for helping me with that. The more I think about it, the more irked I am with the way the GP handled it all. My lovely regular GP was on leave. This one was in a rush. Not good.
I am sorry to hear that some of you have had hard to hear diagnoses. You are very kind to have responded and to be helping others.
I will let you know how I get on. The thing is, I love the sun and feel gloomy in winter, but this has been an enormous wake up call to me. I should have known better with my pale English skin.
I have not spoken to anyone in real life apart from my husband. Over Easter family members saw my scar (it's up near my shoulder/neck) and very hard to hide and I lied and said everything is fine. Why? I hate fuss and I especially hate people feeling sorry for me. I now wonder whether my relationships are rubbish, or is this a common thing? Not sure.
Anyway, thanks again. Also, am I posting in the right place?
-
- April 18, 2014 at 11:50 pm
Hi Deborah,
I was diagnosed last October with stage 3A. I joined the board last month and it's been a godsend. You're at the right place for asking questions. You'll find many helpful people and good information.
Your particular diagnoses sounds encouraging. And I do agree, the waiting is the worse.
You'll be fine. I've learned to embrace life a bit more than before.
Well wishes to you and your family and remember to hug those dearest to you all the more tighter..
We're all in this together and each day that passes a step closer to beating this disease.
Michael
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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