Melanoma Cancer Surgery

Question: im having surgery tommarow for melanoma cancer and lymph noids im scared help? im really scared ive been cut into twice and now another time with radiation

Answer: Kimberly, I understand completely where you are coming from. I have had two major surgeries for melanoma. Waiting for PET Scans results are actually a worse ordeal for me than the actual surgery. I recently had a double hernia operation. I am tired of surgeries. It is weird how you view things after battling cancer for a few years. I was basically told the other day I have stage IV, but felt blessed because of no surgery will be involved.

Question: Safe to get pregnant with history of Malignant Melanoma/Skin Cancer? I have been in remission for Malignant Melanoma 2 years as of this month!! It did spread to some of my lymph nodes and my surgeries/treatments are complete and I am under close observation. Does anyone know anyone who got pregnant after fighting melanoma? My doctor says after you have been cancer free for a few years the risk of relapse is lower, but there isn't really anyway to know for sure. Any suggestions or stories to share? My husband and I are looking into our options.

Answer: If you become healthy, there is no reason not to have a baby. Take up where your doctor leaves off. Become proactive in your prevention of cancer, too. Get parabin free sun screens, because the parabins actually increase cancer risks when exposed to the sun. The National Cancer Institute launched a 6 million dollar project to study phytochemicals because they snuff out cancer before it begins. Phytochemicals are the pigments on raw fruits and vegetables. Especially cruciferous vegetabls and fiberous fruits, like kiwi, papaya, pineapple, and mango. Folic acid is plentiful in raw fruits and veggies, too, which is known to prevent birth defects. It aids in the normal development of the fetus. Because, you and I are no different in the amount of cancer cells that we form every day. Its your immune systems job to keep it at bay every second and it must be fed with healthy things to recover and prevent it from coming back.

Question: My dad has melanoma skin cancer. How serious is this? My Dad is a very, very stubborn person. For as long as I can remember he has refused to wear sunscreen. He always said that he was fine and didn't need it. But our family all burns pretty easily, himself included. In the summer there are times were he is so burned that his skin is almost purple. Yet he still refused to wear sunscreen. He has had several skin cancer spots removed over the past few years. But just a couple weeks ago he got one removed, and this time it was melanoma, which I realize can be extremely dangerous. I am furious that he pretty much did this to himself. And just a month ago he told me he tried the tanning bed at his gym. I was furious! He still had stitches in from his past non-melanoma surgery. He's telling me that he will be fine, but knowing him I'm not sure of that. He has let it get to this point, so who knows where he will let it go from here.... It really terrifies me. I have broken down several times over this. I know if he lets it go too far he could die... Can someone give me some useful facts about melanoma? And given the information I provided, how serious it could be for him?

Answer: Melanoma is definitely a very dangerous cancer. It spreads easily and once it does, it's extremely difficult to cure. The death rate is very high once it spreads. I had a melanoma, but it was localized, called "in situ" and only required surgery. Most melanomas require surgery followed by chemo and/or radiation. He absolutely must do whatever his doctor suggests. If he lets a melanoma go, he WILL die. He also needs to have all moles checked every 6 months for the rest of his life. Once you have one melanoma, you are at much higher risk of getting more. I'm sorry your Dad is so stubborn that he is risking his life. Keep on pushing him and making sure he does what he's supposed to do. You could very well save his life. Good luck!

Question: At this time, where is the risk in Melanoma skin cancer? My mom has a cancer spot on her forehead and she is getting surgery tomorrow for it. So, at this point, after her surgery I mean, will everything be fine? Or is there still a risk of her dying?

Answer: The pathology report from the surgery will tell you alot about the next steps and the prognosis. The links below provide some statistics on Melanoma. Be careful with statistics. The data comes from all the trials performed on the specific cancer. Many of the phase I and Phase II trials are done with terminal cases. And the data may go back years. Current treatments are increasing the survival rates and reducing the reoccurance rates but the statistics state averages of all the data. My prognosis (stage IIIC) was 26% chance of survival to 5 years and I am still here 6 years later. My friend (stage Iv)was told 1 yr and he is still here 6 yrs later.

Question: My Friend had a surgery in his left knee. The surgery is to remove malignant lymph node. Is it melanoma? Doctors say that it is melanoma which is skin cancer. Cancel cells has not spread to any parts of the body, We are unable to find the primary also? Can anyone tell me how should he proceed further and what is his life time?

Answer: Those are questions for the doctor and patient to talk about. If you are his caregiver, then accompany him to all doctor appointments to help him with the questions and recording the answers. It sounds like this is the first surgery to remove the tumor. It will be biopsied then likely that there will be surgery to remove all lymph nodes in the area. After that chemotheropy is a likely next step. After the surgeries, he will be referred to an Oncologist to determine the next steps. In researching Melanoma you will learn about staging and likelly see statistics on survival rates. Focus on treatment and living. Check out site below for more info

Question: I just found out my dad has melanoma lung cancer...advice anybody? My dad just called me a while ago to tell me the results of his biopsy. He had a small growth on his lung which turned out to be melanoma. He had a melanoma growth removed from his back a few years ago, and everything turned out okay. I always thought of melanoma to be a form of skin cancer. My dad is having surgery next week and I am so scared.

Answer: Melanoma is a very serious skin cancer because it can metastasize fairly quickly. What that means is that the cancer does not stay on the skin, it grows underneath the skin and at some point 'metastasizes' which means it send out hundreds of 'cancer cells' that seed into the blood stream and travel all over the body. This is what happened with your Dad. One of the first places a 'met' shows up is in the lung because the blood travels there frequently. Other places it may show up are the liver or brain, although it can be any place. A met is a new tumor growing that is still a melanoma cancer, but now it has spread. Your Dad has melanoma that has metastasized to his lungs . . which means he will be considered a Stage IV. His disease is treatable and as long as the disease is confined to the lung and not found elsewhere he may do well. There are no guarantees though. It might help you to find out more information about the disease: Melanoma http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Melanoma Melanoma Education http://www.skincheck.org/ Melanoma Patients Information Page http://www.mpip.org/ ACOR: Melanoma Support Group http://listserv.acor.org/archives/melanoma.html Good luck to you.

Question: Has anyone out there had melanoma cancer? What to expect.? I had it in November and had surgery in December. Took a baseball size from back and 6 lympnodes under right arm. 2 days ago they took another mole off back and did a biopsy on knot under right arm.How long will this go on? stage 2. Docters say 5 years without and I'm free of it.

Answer: I am a melanoma survivor. Most medical professionals go by the 5 year rule, though it depends greatly upon the type of melanoma one has had as well as the staging, as not all melanoma cells are created equal. There are different cell varieties and some are more virile than others. In 85% of melanoma cases, recurrence happens within the first two years. Thus, if you get two years out, your chance of recurrence drops to 15%. I'm curious, has your doctor ordered a PET scan?

Question: ahh i think i have "subungual" melanoma (cancer under fingernail!) im only 13!? im so scared right now. i have this brownish streak looks like this http://www2.massgeneral.org/cancer/crr/types/skin/illustrations/fingernail.asp! i think im about to cry! is "subungual" melanoma harmful? im only 13! will i need surgery? i read that its usually found on people age 50years and older! Im only 13! :"( im so scared! this link sorry, the other link doesnt work. http://www2.massgeneral.org/cancer/crr/types/skin/illustrations/fingernail.asp

Answer: Calm down and talk with your parents. The chances of you having a subungual melanoma at age 13 are extremely low. Even if you do, it would probably be effectively treated. There is no rush and no immediate need to panic. Your parents could set up a visit to your pediatrician in the next week or two. Think about it this way. You probably are not afraid of being hit by lightning in your house tonight. The chances of that in the USA are about one in 280,000. There's probably a lesser chance that you have a melanoma skin cancer under your fingernail at age 13.

Question: Why doesn't McClain have surgery to improve the appearance of his jaw/cheek? I am aware that McCain's bulge on his jaw/cheek is due to scar tissue that formed after surgery to remove skin cancer (Melanoma)in 2000. I understand that appearances should not be important, but reality is that many people will be distracted from his message by the sight of this bulge. Please, have the surgery to correct this. Why hasn't he done it?

Answer: He's 71 years old. He'll be dead in a few years, so what's the difference?

Question: Since Melanoma accounts for 75% of cancer deaths(approx) why does McCain pretend he is healthy? He has malignant melanoma cancer...it will kill him just like everyone that has it. (Why pretend that he is somehow going to get away from it unlike anyone else?) No melanoma is 100% clear, McCain has had 4 surgeries to remove malignancies...one recently. It is not a private issue. Why is the media down-playing this issue? Palin as a candidate is vastly more likely to be President then any VP in history. In the spirit of honesty, I will relate that I am almost 60, and I only go to the doctor once a year for a blood test ....my medical records are about 3 pages. McCain had 1500 pages in 2000! I cannot imagine seeing Doctors more than once a year and then only because I need a new prescription (not because I need it) What is Mccain's problem? Sure he is chubby...but he is not obese. His Mom looks great though...she looks just like my Swedish grannies who always ate right and never got sick! Was McCain the heavy drinking guy with a bad diet? The exception to the rule? Or the usual early decline of a boozer and non-exerciser... Melanoma 2A ...ie ...he did not "have"...He has it - you never get rid of it. You only die from it. Anyone know of someone that has had 4 surgical removals of 2A melanoma that made it more than 10 years? I cannot believe that McCain made this serious lapse in judgement. Is he really a Patriot or is he still trying to achieve ambitious goals. More than 20 years in the GOV and he still has nothing to show for it. He had all the time in the world to be a great leader & now he does not give a crap about the country and chooses some neophyte to take his place ie equal the sum total of his experience. Baloney. whoops...skin cancer deaths 75%...no back to what I had been saying earlier....He has a 1 in 3 or 33% percent chance of finishing his first term...Palin will probably be Prez. Sorry.

Answer: Your information is factually incorrect. Melanoma accounts for about 3 percent of skin cancer cases, and it is responsible for about 75% of SKIN cancer deaths. The overall cure rate for melanoma is about 83%.

Question: Melanoma skin cancer? Okay, my mom has skin cancer. Melanoma. They found out a sore on her head would open up and when it did, the cancer would spread. But it randomly opens up. So the doctors are going to take skin from another part of her and cover up the sore. She already has a couple more places where it spread when it opened. Please don't give me links to something. I need to know how likely will it be that she'll be okay? What can happen if the surgery works and doesn't work? And is she gonna die? Please answer my question.

Answer: Here's an answer from a stranger on the Internet with no credentials, with no links, based on almost no information. She has Stage IIIC melanoma. The 5-year survival rate ranges from around 27% to around 52%. The 10-year survival ranges from around 22% to around 37%. No, sorry, I can NOT hit submit without providing this link. Don't click it if you don't want to.

Question: Information on exercise post Open Heart Surgery - what is possible? My father had a very difficult time deciding to go ahead with his triple heart by pass as my mother (his wife of 44 years) had been admitted into a hospice after battling melanoma cancer for 8 years. On the morning my father was taken away for surgergy my mother passed away. My father awoke from surgery to be informed Mum had passed. He has always been a very fit man his whole life and is continuing to exercise however the complexity of his situation has meant that he is often lacking energy probably suffering a little depression not that he would ever say that. He also suffered a virus and infection in the lung which delayed his recovery further. He is desperate to find a book that gives you a guide on how far you can push exercise after open heart surgery as he is keen to get back into it but does not feel his body is up for it which I believe is more psychological than physical. Does anyone have any books they could recommend on this subject???

Answer: Firstly, I should point out that almost half of cardiac patients will suffer from some degree of depression after their index event, whether it is a heart attack or surgury. Its a normal grief process for coming to terms with the realization of their mortality. If thsi depression lasts more than six months, it should be considered pathological and needs medical help. But keep in mind he may also be grieving for your recently departed mother as well. In the meantime your reassurance will help. Talking to other cardiac patients will help. Help him talk it out by simply making sure you are there with him at least several times a week. Have some of his older buddies come by and hang out for a while. What he needs to say will come out eventually. As for cardiac rehab, you failed to mention how long post surgery he is and whether or not his sternum has fully healed yet or not? Information on cardiac rehab is available from your cardiologist, or CCU nurse educator. There is a cost associated wit this, so some patients elect not to go through a formal program. Understanding recovery time is slightly longer on your own, he can excercise at home. But the advantage of patient contact, access to psych and dietician will be less if you go the trip on your own. For excercise portion, the recovery is divided in to several phases. Phase one is walking aorund in the hall after bypass. generally it lasts a week or so. Phase two is somewhere between week 2-6 with gradual increase of walking distance. Some places do this on a treadmill with heart monitoring equipment. Some places simply tell you to start walking at home. Try to get a total of an hour a day, split into 5-10minute shifts, as you can tolerate it. Make sure deep breathing excercises done to minimize risk of lung infections. Phase three rehab is after the 6-8week period. By this point the sternum is fairly well healed and you aren't clutching the signature pillow to your chest anymore. At this point you start doing 10-20minute stretches in the treadmill. Followed by mild arm excercises without weights. As the weeks roll by the time and intensity on the treadmill is gradually increased. Also small weights 1-2lbs is added and scaled up slowly to 5-10lbs depending on your strength and conditioning. This coninues over a three month period. Eventually you are back to a normal pace of excercise. Maintenance is doing an hour of aerobic excercise daily at a stretch. This is either walking, cycling, swimming etc. you need a daily regimen of moderate excercise using major muscle groups to stay fit and healthy. As you see, there is a lot of wigle room here. I didn't even go into the Karvonen formula for figuring out resting heart rate reserve etc.. Its best to leave it to a professional. But if money is an issue, work out a deal where he goes once a week or sofor supervised excercise. And follow the regimen at home in between. This will be cheaper since less "face time" is needed. As long as he is disciplined, it should suffice.

Question: Is Melanoma Skin cancer dangerous? Please don't give me links to something. I need to know if it's dangerous even if there is a surgery being done for it. My mom has skin cancer and in a few weeks she's getting something done for it. What's the worst that will happen? Can something be done for it? Is there a greater chance that I'll get it too (We both have very light skin)?

Answer: YES- Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, develops in the cells that produce melanin — the pigment that gives your skin its color. Melanoma can also form in your eyes and, rarely, in internal organs, such as your intestines. The exact cause of all melanomas isn't clear, but exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight or tanning lamps and beds greatly increases your risk of developing melanoma. Avoiding excessive sun exposure can prevent many melanomas. And making sure you know the warning signs of skin cancer can help ensure that cancerous changes are detected and treated before they have a chance to spread. Melanoma can be successfully treated if you catch it early. - It's very difficult to cure melanomas by surgery or any other method of treatment if it had spread beyond the skin. But surgically removing a melanoma that has spread (metastatic melanoma) can often provide relief of symptoms — sometimes for years. Whether this is an option for you will depend on where the cancer is located and how severe it is, as well as on your own wishes and overall health. Apart from Surgery other therapies like, Chemotheraphy and Radiation has to be attempted and even then we hat to take chances only and there is not compleate gurantee for cure. The disease is herediatary also and the patient"s son or daughter are likely to get it. Hence periodical check up and timely detections and treatements are requried, if found. Best of luck-

Question: feline melanoma hind leg in the joint already had surgery would it have been better to have just taken the leg habits have not changed still there is a lot of pain as cancer is coming back has been 6 moz since surgery cat is 13 and not a kitten any more

Answer: I am sure the vet made the "conservative" decision (with you I hope) to just remove the cancer as it appeared at the time. Removing the leg is more drastic and cats can do very well with only three legs (as can dogs). You need to talk to the vet again right away and report what is going on. Some cancers become more aggressive after surgery as it is hard to get all the cells.

Question: What products are best to use to heal a wound? About a month ago I had surgery on my lower leg for melanoma skin cancer. I would like to know if anyone has any advice on what the best products are to use on the wound to promote healing. My doctor said hydrogen peroxide and vaseline but I've been told that this may not be the right treatment. Any suggestions?

Answer: It is difficult to advise on wound products without knowing at what stage your wound has progressed to. I would suggest going back to the doctor (not necessarily the same one) and getting it checked. This way if it is infected it can be properly treated. They will also be able to tell you what the best dressing would be. Also consider contacting your nearest skin cancer clinic and speaking with someone there. Most people are more than happy to give you some quick advise over the phone. Good luck.

Question: what are the effects pro or con of lymph node operations to check for cancer? I have stage 4 melanoma and I'm trying to decide whether to have the operation on the lymph nodes and area excisions around the tumor site. Can anyone with experience educate me so I can make an informed decision ...is it best to have the surgery and accompanying risks with it? or could it be better to fore go the effort and enjoy what time is remaining? who can tell it couldbe short or it could be long.

Answer: Welcome to The Cancer Information Network http://www.cancerlinksusa.com/cancer/wynk.asp