Stage 1 a questions…
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July 5, 2012 at 12:12 am #20441
harrison14
ParticipantLast week, I went to a dermatologist to get my moles looked at for a baseline. My primary care Dr. just wanted to get them check because I have a lot of moles. Well my dermatologist look at all of them and decided to remove one on my back. He didnt think it was a bad one but wanted to be safe. Well on on Monday of this week he called back and informed me that it was positive for melanoma. I do not tan, I am fair skinned white, and hate the beach, so i was shocked. He said it was .5mm deep and staged it at 1A. I went back to him the next day and he did a wide local excision about 1cm around. That was yesterday. So what is next? I go back in two weeks to get the staples removed and then I guess i see him once every 6 months for two years. My questions are the following 1. since i have a lot of moles why did that mole have melanoma?
2. Since I have a lot of moles on my body and near the one he removed, does that chances go up for the others to have melanoma?
2. Since i get checked now every six months, can one mole progress to a high stage in six months.
3. When the survival rate is 95% plus, does that mean that only 5 percent chance melanoma will return anywhere in my body in another mole.
Do I make sense here,lol.
Should I see another dermatologist to get another opinion and another set of eyes to look at my moles.
Or since it is only stage IA i should relax and be glad it is only that stage.
any advice and info would be great.
I see him in two week, what questions should I ask.
Thanks,
Rich
July 5, 2012 at 12:15 am #55297cohanja
ParticipantHi, Do you have a copy of your pathology report with other information in addition to the .5mm? So, mitotic rate, regression, etc..?
July 5, 2012 at 12:34 am #55298harrison14
Participanti can get a copy. But according to the Dr when he removed the mole there were clear non cancer cells around the melanoma. Can you answer the other questions i asked.
Thanks again
July 5, 2012 at 2:42 pm #55299Worrywart
ParticipantYour Dr probably removed the most suspicious looking mole. Since that one was melanoma, he/she may want to check you over again and possibly remove a few more…to get an idea of what is ‘normal’ for you and what is abnormal. You will want to get to know your skin and do a monthly skin check – looking for anything new or changing. Since you have a lot of moles, mole mapping may be a good option for you. As for your second question, melanoma does not usually grow to a late stage in 6 mos, but there are types that are aggressive (nodular for instance). The 5% survival for your stage indicates that 95% of people with your same diagnosis will be alive in 5 years. When melanoma spreads (or metastasizes) it does not go to another mole, it goes to organs/lymph/blood – that is when it becomes deadly. Another melanoma is called a NEW primary, and is unrelated to your first one. The odds of a second primary melanoma are somewhere between 8-10%. I would recommend a second opinion on your pathology at a center of excellence. Search for a dermatopathologist and have your doc send the slides. Good luck! July 5, 2012 at 4:06 pm #55300harrison14
Participantwhat is a center of excellence? I live in rochester ny. July 5, 2012 at 4:27 pm #55301cohanja
Participanthttp://www.safefromthesun.org/resources/cancercenters.html NEW YORK
Cancer Research Center
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Chanin Building, Room 209
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, New York 10461
(718) 430-2302
http://www.einstein.yu.edu/cancercenter/page.aspx Columbia Melanoma Center
Columbia University
New York Presbyterian Hospital
The Tumor Vaccine Program
Department of Surgery
177 Fort Washington Avenue
New York, NY 10032
212-342-0232
http://www.columbiamelanomacenter.org Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Elm & Carlton Streets
Buffalo, New York 14263-0001
(716) 845-5772
1-877-ASK-RPCI
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
P.O. Box 100
Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724
(516) 367-8383
NYU Cancer Institute
New York University Langone Medical Center
550 First Avenue
New York, New York 10016
(212) 263-6485
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue
New York, New York 10021
212-639-2000
800-525-2225
Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
College of Physicians & Surgeons Columbia University
1130 St. Nicholas Avenue
Room 508
New York, New York 10032
(212) 851-52730
James P. Wilmot Cancer Center
University of Rochester Medical Center
601 Elmwood Ave. Box 704
Rochester NY 14642
(866) 4-WILMOT
(585) 275-5830
Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care
Montefiore Medical Center
Melanoma/Sarcoma Program
Greene Medical Arts Pavilion
3400 Bainbridge Avenue
Bronx, NY 10467
718-920-4321
Weill Cornell Cancer Center
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
525 East 68 th Street
New York, NY 10065
212-746-5454
Tisch Cancer Institute
Mount Sinai Medical Center
1190 5 th Avenue
New York, NY 10029
212-241-6756
1-800-MD-SINAI
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