› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Small lump on shin
- This topic has 21 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 1 month ago by
Janner.
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- October 8, 2014 at 3:01 pm
A couple of weeks ago I noticed a small, dime sized, barely visible lump on my right shin. Earlier this summer I had a WLE to remove a MM from my right calf, as well as an SLNB on my groin. Fortunately, the margins of the WLE were clear and there was no sign of cancer in my lymph nodes. I was staged at 1B. What I'm wondering is if I should be concerned about the lump on my shin or if I'm just being paranoid? Is it possible that the melanoma spread to areas other than the lymph nodes and internal organs, despite the fact that there was no sign of spreading after my surgery? My next appointment with the dermatologist isn't until December. Should I get it checked out sooner? I'm not even entirely sure the lump hasn't always been there but I just didn't notice it before.
More background:
Superficial spreading melanoma on right calf
Breslow depth – 1.22mm
Clark level IV
Mitotic rate 3
Chest xrays and abdominal/pelvic ultrasounds showed no signs of cancer.
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Nancy
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- October 8, 2014 at 6:35 pm
I would also suggest trying to get the appointment changed to something closer to now. I had a small (much smaller than what you're describing) pinkish lump on my right shin (which is nowhere near my melanoma site) that I noticed about 6 months after my melanoma diagnosis (at the time staged at IIIb). Neither my oncologist or dermatologist thought it was anything to worry about but I still insisted on a biopsy- which came back as a dermatofibrosarcoma.
Dermatofibrosarcomas are really quite rare, very slow growing skin tumors. They are so slow to metastasize that there is some arguement about whether they should be considered malignant or benign, but they can become quite locally invasive so removal as early as possible is recommended.Once they have metastasized the longest time on record that anyone has survived is 2 years. I'm glad I pushed for the biopsy, then went back for the recommended wide excision (which by the way was 5 cm margins- very glad it was small that was a lot of skin they had to remove and it was very painful for several days).
I found out a couple of years later after progressing to melanoma stage IV as I was trying to enter a clinical trial that this silly little lump that I'd had removed would now disqualify me from the trial as it was technically a second malignancy within a 3 year period (I also had brain mets, so I wasn't getting into that trial anyway), but another reason I'm glad I had it biopsied and removed when I did.
It's worth it to not only get it checked, but perhaps to get a biopsy and see what it is. Perhaps (fingers crossed) it's nothing, or some old scar tissue or something, but just in case it's not…
Up to you- I personally feel better when I know as much as I can and tend to err on the side of caution given the way my journey has gone (and given my personality) but I do recognise that some people are different, and that's ok. You just need to make the decision that you are most comfortable with and then not question it.
Best of luck, keep us updated
-Eva
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- October 8, 2014 at 6:35 pm
I would also suggest trying to get the appointment changed to something closer to now. I had a small (much smaller than what you're describing) pinkish lump on my right shin (which is nowhere near my melanoma site) that I noticed about 6 months after my melanoma diagnosis (at the time staged at IIIb). Neither my oncologist or dermatologist thought it was anything to worry about but I still insisted on a biopsy- which came back as a dermatofibrosarcoma.
Dermatofibrosarcomas are really quite rare, very slow growing skin tumors. They are so slow to metastasize that there is some arguement about whether they should be considered malignant or benign, but they can become quite locally invasive so removal as early as possible is recommended.Once they have metastasized the longest time on record that anyone has survived is 2 years. I'm glad I pushed for the biopsy, then went back for the recommended wide excision (which by the way was 5 cm margins- very glad it was small that was a lot of skin they had to remove and it was very painful for several days).
I found out a couple of years later after progressing to melanoma stage IV as I was trying to enter a clinical trial that this silly little lump that I'd had removed would now disqualify me from the trial as it was technically a second malignancy within a 3 year period (I also had brain mets, so I wasn't getting into that trial anyway), but another reason I'm glad I had it biopsied and removed when I did.
It's worth it to not only get it checked, but perhaps to get a biopsy and see what it is. Perhaps (fingers crossed) it's nothing, or some old scar tissue or something, but just in case it's not…
Up to you- I personally feel better when I know as much as I can and tend to err on the side of caution given the way my journey has gone (and given my personality) but I do recognise that some people are different, and that's ok. You just need to make the decision that you are most comfortable with and then not question it.
Best of luck, keep us updated
-Eva
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- October 8, 2014 at 6:35 pm
I would also suggest trying to get the appointment changed to something closer to now. I had a small (much smaller than what you're describing) pinkish lump on my right shin (which is nowhere near my melanoma site) that I noticed about 6 months after my melanoma diagnosis (at the time staged at IIIb). Neither my oncologist or dermatologist thought it was anything to worry about but I still insisted on a biopsy- which came back as a dermatofibrosarcoma.
Dermatofibrosarcomas are really quite rare, very slow growing skin tumors. They are so slow to metastasize that there is some arguement about whether they should be considered malignant or benign, but they can become quite locally invasive so removal as early as possible is recommended.Once they have metastasized the longest time on record that anyone has survived is 2 years. I'm glad I pushed for the biopsy, then went back for the recommended wide excision (which by the way was 5 cm margins- very glad it was small that was a lot of skin they had to remove and it was very painful for several days).
I found out a couple of years later after progressing to melanoma stage IV as I was trying to enter a clinical trial that this silly little lump that I'd had removed would now disqualify me from the trial as it was technically a second malignancy within a 3 year period (I also had brain mets, so I wasn't getting into that trial anyway), but another reason I'm glad I had it biopsied and removed when I did.
It's worth it to not only get it checked, but perhaps to get a biopsy and see what it is. Perhaps (fingers crossed) it's nothing, or some old scar tissue or something, but just in case it's not…
Up to you- I personally feel better when I know as much as I can and tend to err on the side of caution given the way my journey has gone (and given my personality) but I do recognise that some people are different, and that's ok. You just need to make the decision that you are most comfortable with and then not question it.
Best of luck, keep us updated
-Eva
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- October 8, 2014 at 6:39 pm
PS: I couldn't remember if the lump had been there long or not either- it looked like a little scar (and I have plenty of those from childhood sillyness, etc) but at the time I was a bit hypersensitive about anything on my skin and for some reason that little thing was bugging me (probably because I wasn't sure how long it had been there). You don't have to have the whole thing removed for the biopsy right now- if you can get a punch biopsy it will at least tell you what it is, then you can have a discussion about whether the rest of it needs to be removed or not
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- October 8, 2014 at 6:39 pm
PS: I couldn't remember if the lump had been there long or not either- it looked like a little scar (and I have plenty of those from childhood sillyness, etc) but at the time I was a bit hypersensitive about anything on my skin and for some reason that little thing was bugging me (probably because I wasn't sure how long it had been there). You don't have to have the whole thing removed for the biopsy right now- if you can get a punch biopsy it will at least tell you what it is, then you can have a discussion about whether the rest of it needs to be removed or not
-
- October 8, 2014 at 6:39 pm
PS: I couldn't remember if the lump had been there long or not either- it looked like a little scar (and I have plenty of those from childhood sillyness, etc) but at the time I was a bit hypersensitive about anything on my skin and for some reason that little thing was bugging me (probably because I wasn't sure how long it had been there). You don't have to have the whole thing removed for the biopsy right now- if you can get a punch biopsy it will at least tell you what it is, then you can have a discussion about whether the rest of it needs to be removed or not
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- October 8, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Thanks Eva and Janner,
I just received notice from my dermatologist today that my appointment has been pushed back to January now so I've made an appointment with my family doc for this Friday to get his opinion. I'm pretty sure I'm just being paranoid. The lump is really barely visible. There's no discoloration to the skin but I can feel the lump when I run my fingers over the area.
N
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- October 8, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Thanks Eva and Janner,
I just received notice from my dermatologist today that my appointment has been pushed back to January now so I've made an appointment with my family doc for this Friday to get his opinion. I'm pretty sure I'm just being paranoid. The lump is really barely visible. There's no discoloration to the skin but I can feel the lump when I run my fingers over the area.
N
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- October 8, 2014 at 7:07 pm
Thanks Eva and Janner,
I just received notice from my dermatologist today that my appointment has been pushed back to January now so I've made an appointment with my family doc for this Friday to get his opinion. I'm pretty sure I'm just being paranoid. The lump is really barely visible. There's no discoloration to the skin but I can feel the lump when I run my fingers over the area.
N
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- October 10, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Hi Janner,
I saw my family doc this morning. He suspects that the lump on my shin is either a lipoma or cyst. If it gets bigger he said to go back and see him, otherwise not to worry about it. It's good to have peace of mind! It's amazing how a melanoma diagnosis can turn you into a hypochondriac.
Thanks for your advice.
N
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- October 10, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Hi Janner,
I saw my family doc this morning. He suspects that the lump on my shin is either a lipoma or cyst. If it gets bigger he said to go back and see him, otherwise not to worry about it. It's good to have peace of mind! It's amazing how a melanoma diagnosis can turn you into a hypochondriac.
Thanks for your advice.
N
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- October 10, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Hi Janner,
I saw my family doc this morning. He suspects that the lump on my shin is either a lipoma or cyst. If it gets bigger he said to go back and see him, otherwise not to worry about it. It's good to have peace of mind! It's amazing how a melanoma diagnosis can turn you into a hypochondriac.
Thanks for your advice.
N
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