Husband newly diagnosed with Melanoma on the back of the neck

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  • Post
    • October 30, 2013 at 5:48 am
    mrsmarycandice
    Participant
      My husband just returned home from Afghanistan. A few days after his arrival I noticed a black mole on the back of his neck and a suspicious spot on his leg. To make a long story short, he has a biopsy of the neck and was told it was melanoma. He went back and they made a large incision on the back of the neck. That biopsy can back “negative”. He wasn’t given a stage or depth.

      The first time he went in he was told the spot on his leg looked fine. After the second biopsy of his neck, a full body check was performed. The doctor pointed it the leg spot and they scraped it off and sent it in for a biopsy (we are awaiting those results).

      What is next? Other than skin protection, are there any other tests that should be performed to make sure it hasn’t spread beyond that spot (to the lymph nodes, for example)?

      He is acting like it is no big deal but I am slightly worried short the whole thing. Sadly, I don’t have a lot of faith in many of the doctors I have seen on the military posts so I just want to make sure we have our bases covered.

    Viewing 11 reply threads
    • Replies
        • October 30, 2013 at 6:16 am
        MattF
        Participant

          Hello

          I was diagnosed on an Army post but i simply found a Doctor where I wanted to go after the military dermatologist made the diagnosis…he put iin referals and I want to a cancer center for surgery and follow up scans.

          It is very important you get the pathology report. They should want him to have that.

          I got mine and actually looked up a place to go because the military hospital only had a very basic oncology center.

          I retired from the military in Aug. just so he is aware my Melanoma kickstarted my retirment…got sent for a medical retirment for cancer. So he has to take it seriously.

          Matt

          • October 30, 2013 at 6:16 am
          MattF
          Participant

            Hello

            I was diagnosed on an Army post but i simply found a Doctor where I wanted to go after the military dermatologist made the diagnosis…he put iin referals and I want to a cancer center for surgery and follow up scans.

            It is very important you get the pathology report. They should want him to have that.

            I got mine and actually looked up a place to go because the military hospital only had a very basic oncology center.

            I retired from the military in Aug. just so he is aware my Melanoma kickstarted my retirment…got sent for a medical retirment for cancer. So he has to take it seriously.

            Matt

            • October 30, 2013 at 6:16 am
            MattF
            Participant

              Hello

              I was diagnosed on an Army post but i simply found a Doctor where I wanted to go after the military dermatologist made the diagnosis…he put iin referals and I want to a cancer center for surgery and follow up scans.

              It is very important you get the pathology report. They should want him to have that.

              I got mine and actually looked up a place to go because the military hospital only had a very basic oncology center.

              I retired from the military in Aug. just so he is aware my Melanoma kickstarted my retirment…got sent for a medical retirment for cancer. So he has to take it seriously.

              Matt

              • October 30, 2013 at 1:53 pm
              Janner
              Participant

                Without a stage or depth, it's really hard to comment.  There is no way to know if he should be doing more, seeing a specialist, or just getting on with life.  As Matt suggested, getting copies of all pathology reports is in your best interest.  Until we have more info, it's really difficult to give any direction or advice.

                Best wishes,

                Janner

                • October 30, 2013 at 1:53 pm
                Janner
                Participant

                  Without a stage or depth, it's really hard to comment.  There is no way to know if he should be doing more, seeing a specialist, or just getting on with life.  As Matt suggested, getting copies of all pathology reports is in your best interest.  Until we have more info, it's really difficult to give any direction or advice.

                  Best wishes,

                  Janner

                  • October 30, 2013 at 1:53 pm
                  Janner
                  Participant

                    Without a stage or depth, it's really hard to comment.  There is no way to know if he should be doing more, seeing a specialist, or just getting on with life.  As Matt suggested, getting copies of all pathology reports is in your best interest.  Until we have more info, it's really difficult to give any direction or advice.

                    Best wishes,

                    Janner

                    • October 31, 2013 at 2:12 am
                    BrianP
                    Participant

                      I echo Matt's remarks. I won't get into the details but I also was diagnosed and treated at a military facility. Looking back I can't believe how ignorant I was to the severity of my situation and I also don't feel I got the best care during that time frame. As Janner suggested you need to get more specifics on the pathology and your husband's classification and then go to the NCI website and show your husband what the treatment options are and the survival statistics. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to melanoma. 

                       

                        • October 31, 2013 at 2:41 am
                        Janner
                        Participant

                          My Father is stage IV and treated at a VA medical center (WWII Vet) and he has actually had great care.  All recommendations for treatment echo standard protocols.  The VA hospital is associated with a local university and cancer center and the oncology specialists regularly see VA patients.  Maybe it depends on the VA medical center and other things as well.  But first and foremost, the original poster needs the most basic information about his condition.

                          • October 31, 2013 at 2:41 am
                          Janner
                          Participant

                            My Father is stage IV and treated at a VA medical center (WWII Vet) and he has actually had great care.  All recommendations for treatment echo standard protocols.  The VA hospital is associated with a local university and cancer center and the oncology specialists regularly see VA patients.  Maybe it depends on the VA medical center and other things as well.  But first and foremost, the original poster needs the most basic information about his condition.

                            • October 31, 2013 at 2:41 am
                            Janner
                            Participant

                              My Father is stage IV and treated at a VA medical center (WWII Vet) and he has actually had great care.  All recommendations for treatment echo standard protocols.  The VA hospital is associated with a local university and cancer center and the oncology specialists regularly see VA patients.  Maybe it depends on the VA medical center and other things as well.  But first and foremost, the original poster needs the most basic information about his condition.

                            • October 31, 2013 at 2:12 am
                            BrianP
                            Participant

                              I echo Matt's remarks. I won't get into the details but I also was diagnosed and treated at a military facility. Looking back I can't believe how ignorant I was to the severity of my situation and I also don't feel I got the best care during that time frame. As Janner suggested you need to get more specifics on the pathology and your husband's classification and then go to the NCI website and show your husband what the treatment options are and the survival statistics. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to melanoma. 

                               

                              • October 31, 2013 at 2:12 am
                              BrianP
                              Participant

                                I echo Matt's remarks. I won't get into the details but I also was diagnosed and treated at a military facility. Looking back I can't believe how ignorant I was to the severity of my situation and I also don't feel I got the best care during that time frame. As Janner suggested you need to get more specifics on the pathology and your husband's classification and then go to the NCI website and show your husband what the treatment options are and the survival statistics. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to melanoma. 

                                 

                                • November 1, 2013 at 12:12 am
                                JerryfromFauq
                                Participant

                                  In 2012, at the MRF legislative day, One of the  things I pushed to the Congressional Offices  in DC was that with what has been going on in the Middle east for the last ten years the rate of military Melanoma's was sure to go up as it did following WW-2 for the Pacific theater military people.  As previously stated GET copies of blood work, scans, radiology reports and Pathology reports.  Learn where the removed melanoma tissue has been preserved. 
                                  If you go to a melanoma center, they will want to know all this and if you can make copies from your records, you will be surprised at how much this can speed things up. 

                                    If they want to do a WLE to get wider margins (clear tissue without melanoma cells),  Push them to FIRST do the Dye injections to determine which lymph nodes each of the two melanoma sites drain to, if done later, the drainage pattern may have been too changed by the WLE.

                                      Hopefully the neck info indicates that they got the complete tummor  the first time and the next was just a WLE (Sounds like that may be it.)

                                      It sounds like the leg spot may have been a shave rather  than a complete removal, depends on the depth.  Hopefully the leg tissue comes back negative.

                                    
                                  I hope it doesn't wind up being a big thing, but it MAY be.  Early removal greatly increases ones ststistics for survival.  Any melanoma weill require a lifetime of vigilant followup.

                                   

                                  • November 1, 2013 at 12:12 am
                                  JerryfromFauq
                                  Participant

                                    In 2012, at the MRF legislative day, One of the  things I pushed to the Congressional Offices  in DC was that with what has been going on in the Middle east for the last ten years the rate of military Melanoma's was sure to go up as it did following WW-2 for the Pacific theater military people.  As previously stated GET copies of blood work, scans, radiology reports and Pathology reports.  Learn where the removed melanoma tissue has been preserved. 
                                    If you go to a melanoma center, they will want to know all this and if you can make copies from your records, you will be surprised at how much this can speed things up. 

                                      If they want to do a WLE to get wider margins (clear tissue without melanoma cells),  Push them to FIRST do the Dye injections to determine which lymph nodes each of the two melanoma sites drain to, if done later, the drainage pattern may have been too changed by the WLE.

                                        Hopefully the neck info indicates that they got the complete tummor  the first time and the next was just a WLE (Sounds like that may be it.)

                                        It sounds like the leg spot may have been a shave rather  than a complete removal, depends on the depth.  Hopefully the leg tissue comes back negative.

                                      
                                    I hope it doesn't wind up being a big thing, but it MAY be.  Early removal greatly increases ones ststistics for survival.  Any melanoma weill require a lifetime of vigilant followup.

                                     

                                    • November 1, 2013 at 12:12 am
                                    JerryfromFauq
                                    Participant

                                      In 2012, at the MRF legislative day, One of the  things I pushed to the Congressional Offices  in DC was that with what has been going on in the Middle east for the last ten years the rate of military Melanoma's was sure to go up as it did following WW-2 for the Pacific theater military people.  As previously stated GET copies of blood work, scans, radiology reports and Pathology reports.  Learn where the removed melanoma tissue has been preserved. 
                                      If you go to a melanoma center, they will want to know all this and if you can make copies from your records, you will be surprised at how much this can speed things up. 

                                        If they want to do a WLE to get wider margins (clear tissue without melanoma cells),  Push them to FIRST do the Dye injections to determine which lymph nodes each of the two melanoma sites drain to, if done later, the drainage pattern may have been too changed by the WLE.

                                          Hopefully the neck info indicates that they got the complete tummor  the first time and the next was just a WLE (Sounds like that may be it.)

                                          It sounds like the leg spot may have been a shave rather  than a complete removal, depends on the depth.  Hopefully the leg tissue comes back negative.

                                        
                                      I hope it doesn't wind up being a big thing, but it MAY be.  Early removal greatly increases ones ststistics for survival.  Any melanoma weill require a lifetime of vigilant followup.

                                       

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