Melanoma

Question: Melanoma..? Two weeks ago i went to the doctor to get a mole removed off my back, she said it had all for characteristics of being melanoma. I am still waiting for the results to come back, but what are they chance that it really is melanoma??

Answer: Let's face it, sun is no good for your skin. Sunscreens, hats with wide brims, long sleeves, and pants will lower the risk of skin cancer and keep your skin young looking. All these cancers are related to sun exposure. Squamous cell and basal cell cancers appear almost exclusively on the areas of skin most exposed to sun ( head, neck, hands). Melanoma is also common in these areas but may appear on the chest or back. Melanoma is most common in people who have had one or more severe blistering sunburns before the age of 18. A reminder: If you get one of these cancers, you are likely to get another. So, once you've had the first one cured, it is a good idea to have regular examinations to make sure that nothing new has developed. Avoid further damage to the skin from the sun.

Question: What are the types of tumours for Melanoma? I am doing a research essay on cancers, and I chose to do it on Melanoma. I have been searching the web to find the types of tumors that is from Melanoma. Please help, I need to answer quick. And I also need help with this question: When tissue regenerate by mitosis it may be affected by formation of tumours due to mutations. Which organs might be affected the most?

Answer: Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. Melanoma often carries with it a poor prognosis as it can be invasive and affect organs as well as the skin. Here is more info on melanoma to get you started on your research which includes the types of melanoma: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000850.htm

Question: What are the chances that i have uveal melanoma ? I have always had a small but rather distinct black dot in the middle of my iris, and thought nothing of it until now. I have been reading about uveal melanoma, and it seems this is very common evidence of this cancer,yet i am only 16 and really quite heathly. Is this likely to be uveal melanoma or simply a birth mark of sorts.

Answer: If you have had the spot for a long time, and your not having any visual difficulties, like seeing a dot or a shadow in your visual field. You ok. You should be examined by an opthamologist. They will be able to tell you what kind of dot is in your eye.

Question: What oral medication is available for melanoma skin cancer? I just found out I have melanoma skin cancer, stage 2. Does anyone know of any oral medication for it? I am just curious. Thanks!

Answer: More than likely you will receive immunology treatments i.e. Interferon shots.After the surgery and all the scans your oncologist will come up with a game plan. quibijor, Actually during the induction period, the Interferon is feed by an IV. The induction period is 5 times a week for one month. Afterwards 3 shots per week.

Question: What are the chances that my Melanoma has to other parts of the body? When I was four I had melanoma surgically removed off my back. 7 months ago I had another one removed. Then I go back and now I've got four that need to be removed, 2 of them surgically. What are the chances that the cancer could have spread to other parts of my body past just the skin?

Answer: i also have melanoma so i know what you are going through. i was diagnosed when i was 12 and the doctor told me that if you get it early enough then it won't spread. it can spread though which is really hard to deal with. I don't want to get you scared cause i don't know the precentage that spreads but i know there is a chance. good luck and i hope everything works out for you!

Question: What does the throat cancer ribbon and the melanoma ribbon look like? Im getting a tattoo in honor of my dad who had throat cancer and my mom who had melanoma. One ribbon is going to be on one shoulder and the other ribbon on the other shoulder. The ribbons will be ripped in the middle with a sparrow flying through the middle. They both survived and this is for them! So if anyone can help me, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

Answer: According to the "for the cure" site melanoma is a black ribbon. It doesn't list throat cancer. But it also doesn't list lung cancer, so it doesn't appear complete. The Trinity London site and the Pin People site also have black for melanoma, and "pearl" (opalescent?) for lung cancer. Purple is the color for cancer survivors, but would be more appropriate for your parents than for you. That tattoo is really a lovely idea... I'm sure you'll come up with whatever is just right for you, and no matter what it is, your parents should feel honored by the fact that you did it.

Question: What exactly are the symptoms of metastatic melanoma? What exactly are the symptoms of metastatic melanoma, and in how much pain would someone be who suffers from it? Many thanks.

Answer: Metastatic melanoma is by definition, a secondary cancer. You cannot have a metastatic melanoma without having a primary melanoma. Metastatic comes from the word "Metastasis." A Metastasis is the spread of cancer from its primary site to other places in the body. A good example would be someone who has malignant melanoma (a bad type of skin cancer)....this is the primary cancer. If that cancer spreads (metastasizes) to the lungs, then you now have a secondary cancer in the lungs which is called a metastatic melanoma. Having said that, there are really no clear cut symptoms for metastatic melanoma...the symptoms really depend on the location of the secondary cancer. For example, if your primary cancer spread to the brain, a symptom could be headaches and dizzyness. If you do not already have cancer, then you do not need to worry about metastatic melanoma. Best of Luck!

Question: What is the name of the method to prevent melanoma? Hi, I heard that one of the ways to prevent melanoma is a systematic control of the skin by a doctor. I know that doctor does just a visual control, but I heard that there is a more powerful method. It is based on making photos of the birthmarks and comparison of the subsequent images (made with some time interval). I would like to know the name of the method.

Answer: Ooh, I just did two weeks on derm! I know this one! *g* Actually, I've heard it called several things and I suspect people just use different names to make their center's version sound special. The ones I can think of are 'mole mapping', 'whole body photography' or 'total body photography'. The brochures at the clinic where I worked said Total Body Photography, but I don't think there's any consensus on the name. In any event, if you Google any of those, a bunch of links will pop up.

Question: How often does a mole look like melanoma but it turns out to be nothing? I recently had some biopsies done and one mole in particular perfectly matched the "ABCD" signs of melanoma. Are there any statistics on cases where it matched physically but the results came back negative for cancer? For more details just in case my question was unclear: I'd like stats on how often a mole is non-cancerous after a dermatologist said it fits the ABCDs of melanoma. I cannot find anything on the subject of how often a biopsy comes back either positive or negative. Thank you!!!

Answer: Miss E - There are no exact numbers to answer your question. The ABCDs of a possible melanoma are good guides when to see a doctor (preferably a dermatologist), but there are other melanoma warning signs to consider such as: • The appearance of a new bump or nodule • Color spreads into surrounding skin • redness or swelling beyond the mole • pain • tenderness • itching • bleeding • oozing • scaly appearance Better to be safe and cautious than sorry too late.

Question: How does the doctor do a biopsy if melanoma is on the head? My dad has Melanoma on the head...how the hell does the doctor get a biopsy off of it on his head?

Answer: It will depend on where on the head the melanoma is located and the best way to approach the biopsy . . it may be that they will attempt am excisional biopsy. Am excisional biopsy involves the complete removal of the lesion with a clear margins . . . Once the lesion is removed the pathologist will examine the tumor under a microscope to determine if it is malignant, what grade it is, and see if any cancer cells are in the margins. Or the doctor may for whatever reason elect to do a needle aspiration biopsy and just remove a sample of the suspected cells . . of course there is risk of missing the cancer cells totally with this type of biopsy.

Question: How common is melanoma in rats? And how do they get it? A few months ago, my rat had a growth that started out much like any other skin cancer I've seen. A small black dot, the size of a pin prick, and it just kept growing and becoming darker. The vet thought it might be a cyst, but it was a dark, fleshy mass that her and her father diagnosed as melanoma. Just curious how often that happens. I've heard of mammary tumors and whatnot, but never melanoma on a rat.

Answer: Mammary tumors are very common, but melanoma is unheard of. Her father was probably misdiagnosed, he probably just had a fatty tumor, also very common in rats.

Question: How likely is it for an 72 year old male survivor of melanoma skin cancer to die before age 80? He first had a melanoma removed about 15 years ago. About 12 years ago doctors removed some lesions but said they were not melanoma. Then about 8 years ago two more melanoma were detected and removed. The biopsy on one of these said it was 2 cm wide, Stage IIA. 6 years ago (2002) a 4th melanoma was detected and removed.

Answer: From the information you gave there is no reason to believe he would die before 80, not from melanoma anyway. You should also know with melanoma the depth of invasion is more telling than the size.

Question: What are your chances of living with no treatment on Stage4 Melanoma? My uncle is coming today to live with us. Last week was told he has melanoma in lungs, bones, and tons in his brain. they say he has it in 80% of his body. They give him 6months to live. First off, is that with treatment and second what are his chances of living until Thanksgiving at the least with no treatment? He is refusing any doctors, meds, or treatment. I would ask him these questions but he is not speaking about it.

Answer: Stage 4 melanoma has a median survival of 6-7 months with or without treatment. It is a very unpredictable disease and there is no way of knowing if he will be here at Thanksgiving. I don’t mean to be harsh, but he needs to talk to you about this or you are going to have a world of stress. If he does not have an advanced directive or given a medical power of attorney to someone the hospital will have to do everything possible to keep him alive and this can often be harder on the patient and the family. When he gets bad he will not likely recover enough to make his wishes known and this can happen rather quickly. You may also want to look into hospice. They are wonderful at helping both the patient and the family. Best wishes.

Question: Is it significant that more than one mole shows signs of melanoma? That is to say melanoma is recurring for the first time, but on more than one mole at the same time, away from the original sight. Is that significant? Is it normal to appear on more than one mole at the same time?

Answer: When melanoma spreads (recurs), it can appear in several places at once. This is fairly typical.

Question: Can PLX4032 be given to stage 4 malignant melanoma patients whose cancer has spread to the brain? Hi, Can PLX4032 be given to malignant melanoma cancer patients who cancer has spread to the brain (grew back, spread to different spots after brain surgery)? Some doctors are not allowing it to be used because PLX4032 might accelerate the spreading of the brain tumor. Your help is appreciated. L.

Answer: This is a good site to read up on.. It's got some good news and some bad. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/199002.php Here's another good one... http://bayarea.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/the-story-of-plx4032-a-berkeley-companys-cancer-therapy/

Question: What happen after one had a minor surgery to cut MELANOMA out? My mum had what she thought was a big mole bleading. when it was cut out it turned out to be a tumor - doctor did a good job cutting so everything around and underneath it was tumorfree. It was then tested in a lab and turned out to be a malignant melanoma. I wonder what needs to happen next - what are the prosedings?? the doctors in Ukraine say there is nothing else to be done and my mum can go on with her life.

Answer: You are not giving enough information to know. What kind of melanoma was it? How big was it? How far did it invade? How thick was it? Was it ulcerated? The answers to these questions are what determine treatment and prognosis. Typically the initial biopsy is done with close margins of just a few millimeters. This is to prevent problems with sentinel lymph node mapping. Later a second biopsy is done to be sure the margins are clear.

Question: Can you get melanoma from florescent plant lights? I recently purchased an "Grow Light 17 Watt" and have noticed this light gives off a pinkish hue similar to tanning lights. Since we now know tanning beds increase melanoma cancer cells production by 75% the first time tanning, Im wondering if its safe to hang a plant light in my room. Would I get any adverse effects? Sunburn? Melanoma? SMART ANSWERS would be appreciated.

Answer: it could happen if skin is exposed for a extremely long time under that plant light

Question: How long can someone live with Melanoma? My 90 year old grand-mother has just been diagnosed with melanoma, I'm nowhere close to her doctor and no one has told me how long she has. This is Melanoma of the Blood, not just the skin.

Answer: What stage is the disease? Cancer isn't a death sentence. Much depends on the patients overall health and the stage of the disease. If this is early stage than the melanoma may be treatable. It's possible that your grandmother may just live with the cancer for years and pass away for different reasons. Information for you about the disease: NCI: Melanoma http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/melanoma NCCN: Melanoma Treatment Guidelines http://www.nccn.org/patients/patient_gls/_english/_melanoma/contents.asp

Question: Why do health insurance companies deny life ins coverage to people who have a history of malignant melanoma's? I was just denied life insurance coverage due to a health history of malignant melanoma = 10 years ago, 2 squamous cell carcinoma's = 5 years ago, and 3 displastic nevi removed 6 months ago by my dermatologist. I get skin exams whenever I see anything suspicious. I take all the necessary precasions. I am almost 45 years old; fair complected, and a female.

Answer: Well, there are two answers. You're looking for standard rates. Once you have a malignant melanoma, you no longer QUALIFY for standard rates - the odds are just MUCH higher that you won't live as long as someone who hasn't had any melanoma. The second answer is, if price is no object, you CAN buy life insurance. You need to talk to a high risk life agent in your area. You're just going to pay through the nose for it - maybe even close to payout value.

Question: what kind of tests are done to follow up for melanoma skin cancer? i had melanoma on my lower leg and had a widening done. they said the melanoma had not spread. should'nt i be having follow up tests or something? this was 2000. none of my doctors seem concerned.

Answer: Clearly you must have had Melanoma in situ, or stage 0 melanoma. The cure for that is total excision of the tumor, making sure all margins are clear. That is the only treatment needed for melanoma in that stage. Your only issue now is to make sure it doesn't show up anywhere else. See a dermatologist twice a year. Have your spouse or close friend check you all over for any suspicious moles on a regular basis. Wear sun screen every time you go outside. You should draw a picture of yourself and plot the moles on your body or better yet photograph them and compare annually. Be aware of any changes in a mole. Since you had it once, you are more prone to a recurrence than most people. Be vigilant and good luck.