Melanoma

[Dixie]

Over a year ago, one of my co-workers had, what he described as a growth, removed from his face. It ended up being melanoma, caught in time fortunately. His discovery led to my good friend and co-worker going to a doctor for what she described as a weird looking mole. She too had melanoma and again very fortunately caught in time. I'm not big on doctors.
I go on the theory that what I don't know won't kill me. Nonetheless, when my hairdresser saw an odd shaped, very black, very new mole on my neck, I thought about my friends and what happened to them. It is melanoma.
My mother, bless her heart, (she'll be reading this later no doubt) is pretty upset but much to her credit hasn't said I told you so yet. I'm a little antsy and what's even worse in my view have to endure the humiliation of standing in front of a doctor and corpsman nearly naked. Guess it beats dying. Anyhoo, this is a long post and the moral of this story is, I didn't think it would happen to me and since it has and my friends's experience convinced me to go to the doctors, I thought that maybe I could pass it on. Hope you're all well, Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

 

[aps45819]

As a fair complected, red head, I go see the dermotologist about every 6 months and get pre-cancerous spots burned off with liquid nitrogen. Think it's called kerotosis and it's small, dry scaley patches of skin.
Think the folks that spend a lot of time in tanning beds are nuts.

 

[Dixie]

As a fair complected, red head, I go see the dermotologist about every 6 months and get pre-cancerous spots burned off with liquid nitrogen. Think it's called kerotosis and it's small, dry scaley patches of skin.
Think the folks that spend a lot of time in tanning beds are nuts.

They sure have a pretty color though. I did a tanning bed once, it's like a coffin with lights. I'm looking at everything, (holy moley comes to mind) They all look like something to me and I swear if you connect the dots, it's the spitting image of David Letterman.

 

[aps45819]

They sure have a pretty color though. I did a tanning bed once, it's like a coffin with lights.

The spray on stuff has been developed to where it looks good and the fade is natural, not blotchy. I've used the one in Wildwood. Will be using it again this summer.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Think the folks that spend a lot of time in tanning beds are nuts.

I spend mucho time in tanning beds.

 

[Suz]

Over a year ago, one of my co-workers had, what he described as a growth, removed from his face. It ended up being melanoma, caught in time fortunately. His discovery led to my good friend and co-worker going to a doctor for what she described as a weird looking mole. She too had melanoma and again very fortunately caught in time. I'm not big on doctors.
I go on the theory that what I don't know won't kill me. Nonetheless, when my hairdresser saw an odd shaped, very black, very new mole on my neck, I thought about my friends and what happened to them. It is melanoma.
My mother, bless her heart, (she'll be reading this later no doubt) is pretty upset but much to her credit hasn't said I told you so yet. I'm a little antsy and what's even worse in my view have to endure the humiliation of standing in front of a doctor and corpsman nearly naked. Guess it beats dying. Anyhoo, this is a long post and the moral of this story is, I didn't think it would happen to me and since it has and my friends's experience convinced me to go to the doctors, I thought that maybe I could pass it on. Hope you're all well, Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Sending you to Bethesda? They sent my husband there a year ago. I went with him. I gave him the option of my leaving the room, but he wanted me to stay. It's not that bad. Worse for him, cause he had to 'lift' his 'jewels' out of the way so they could review that area.... thankfully they found nothing strange, but he will have to do this on a regular basis as both his parents have had all types of cancer. Lots of Melanoma.....

good luck!!

 

[STL_RAMS]

I have a weird looking mole, odd shaped and dark in color, I have put off going to the Dr. for quite a while b/c I dont want to hear anything bad. I used to live on the beach and tanning beds, w/my only form of Sunscreen being Babyoil. I have had my fair share of high degree sunburns. I did finally break down and make an appointment (for something else) but I am going to have it checked. I dont want to know that truth (if its bad) though

 

[kwillia]

Melanoma Hope Network.org

Can it start anywhere in the body?

It is most likely to start on sun-exposed skin areas but can also be found in the eyes (ocular melanoma), on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands (acral lentiginous melanoma), inside the mouth (oral melanoma), the genital-rectal areas, and non-sun-exposed areas.


How does it spread?

It can spread both locally and systemically. Local spread occurs as an enlargement of the spot either horizontally or vertically into adjacent tissue. Spread throughout the body (systemic) occurs when melanoma cells reach the lymphatic system and the bloodstream. These are the two main "fluid highways" of the body. The melanoma cells from the primary site are transported to another organ or location where new tumors can then develop.


How do I know if I have melanoma?

If you have any of the ABCDEF's in a new or long-standing skin spot, you should see a dermatologist (skin doctor) without delay. Sometimes the appearance of the spot will allow immediate recognition but a biopsy will need to be taken to finalize the diagnosis.


Can melanoma be cured?

The best chance for a cure is early detection, prompt removal, and close follow-up care.


How can I find a doctor to treat melanoma?

Your primary care physician or dermatologist should be able to give you a referral to a surgeon for removal of the melanoma. If needed, the surgeon can then refer you to an oncologist. Oncologists generally treat several different kinds of cancer. For example, your oncologist may treat melanoma, breast cancer and colon cancer patients. If available, an oncologist with a specialty in melanoma is preferable. These doctors are usually found at hospitals associated with university medical centers, in clinics at cancer research facilities, or in hospitals with designated cancer centers.

Is the rate of melanoma really increasing?

Melanoma rates continue to increase at a rate of 3-4% per year in the US. An overall increase of 2000% has occurred since 1935. The majority of tumors being diagnosed now are thinner, more localized melanomas. There has been an increase in both thin tumors and melanoma incidence in successive generations along with an increase in melanoma mortality. Combined, these three things support the idea that the observed melanoma increases are real and not the result of early detection (Brochez et al,2000).

 

[BadGirl]

I had a severe case of melanoma three years ago and aalmost lost my left arm because of it. Thankfully, with the help of wonderful doctors and aggressive surgery, I have full use of my arm - although have a nice scar to show for it. I still am required to go for follow-up screening every three months; so far, no reoccurrence has shown up. But having previously been diagnosed with it, I am highly susceptible to get it again. I've learned that being smart about sun exposure is the best preventer of it showing up again. Also, suncreen is my very best friend.

I have no confirmed explanation for how I got it. I did faithfully go to tanning beds for a few years; however, I can't say for sure they are the reason I got it. Perhaps it was just a really crappy set of genes that caused it. At any rate, I'd suggest that anyone, and everyone, get a baseline screening from their dermatologist, and not their regular doctor who might not be able to pick up the subtle nuances of skin changes.

A few of my sisters have also found disturbing irregularities in their skin, but none have been diagnosed with melanoma. Blood relatives apparently have a 60% more likely chance to get melanoma than a non-blood relative.

Admittedly, I really do miss having a tan.

 

[kwillia]

Tanning Beds, Lamps May Double Cancer Risk-Report

Tanning beds and tanning lamps may more than double the risk of cancer, and the effect is the worst in the young women most likely to use them, researchers said on Wednesday.


The researchers suggested use of the devices be limited to adults, and anyone who uses a tanning bed perhaps should be required to sign a consent form acknowledging the risks.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is one of several that strongly link the use of tanning lamps with skin cancer.

Dermatologists are not surprised by this -- in order for the skin to tan it has to be damaged. Tanning is the skin's response to the ultraviolet rays given off by the sun and tanning lamps and beds.

"Tanning is a response to injury," Dr. Steven Spencer, a Dartmouth medical school dermatologist who worked on the study, said in a telephone interview. Sunlight also causes wrinkles, age spots and thinning skin, as do sunlamps, he said.

In the United States, more than a million people develop two types of skin cancer, known as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, every year. Both are easily cured if caught early.

Spencer, Margaret Karagas and colleagues interviewed 603 people who had just been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma and 293 with squamous cell carcinoma.

They also spoke to 540 people who did not have skin cancer. Everyone they spoke with was between 25 and 74 years old and lived in New Hampshire.

All of the nearly 1,500 volunteers were asked how often they sunbathed, whether they had ever had a sunburn, if they smoked or ever had radiation treatment and whether they used tanning lamps.

HIGHER RATES SHOWN

Those who said they had used a tanning lamp or sunbed were 2.5 times as likely to be in the squamous cell carcinoma group, and 1.5 times more likely to be in the basal cell carcinoma group, as those who said they had never used the devices, the Dartmouth team found.

"Our findings suggest that the use of tanning devices may contribute to the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancers," researchers wrote.

Spencer said there were not enough people in the group to check for melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, but he said it is likely tanning beds increase the risk of melanoma.

His team considered the possibility that people who used tanning beds may have sunbathed as well, thus raising their risk of skin cancer from the sun. So they accounted for sunbathing in the report.

But, they said, "no other factors, including summer outdoor exposure, sunbathing or sunburns, affected our results."

The very people who are warned to stay out of the sun were the ones most likely to use the tanning devices -- fair-skinned women who burned easily but who sunbathed anyway.

Spencer said those young women may mistakenly believe they are "laying down a base" that will protect them from the sun.

"The problem is that the kind of tan that a fair-skinned person gets is not very protective," he said.

As with sun exposure, the risk of cancer built over time. Those most likely to have developed skin cancer had first used the tanning devices decades earlier.

"Most tanning parlors use a certain wavelength of ultraviolet light called UVA that doesn't tend to burn you so much but it is harmful," Spencer said.

Researchers said tanning salons and sun lamps might need closer regulation -- now determined by states -- and suggested that minors be banned from using them.

 

[Lenny]

Better safe, than Morte

Dr. Lenny says to always use high-SPf sunscreen. The nice, dark tan that everyone seeks is an invitation to all kinds of skin cancer. Melanoma is the most devious and most dangerous. You really DO want to hear "this is a melanoma and we got it before it spread" instead of "this is melanoma and it has spread to your brain. You have about six months to live."

 

[Dixie]

I have a weird looking mole, odd shaped and dark in color, I have put off going to the Dr. for quite a while b/c I dont want to hear anything bad. I used to live on the beach and tanning beds, w/my only form of Sunscreen being Babyoil. I have had my fair share of high degree sunburns. I did finally break down and make an appointment (for something else) but I am going to have it checked. I dont want to know that truth (if its bad) though

Please, please go. I did the sun bit a lot growing up but the last ten years nothing so I didn't think it would happen to me. When the doctor looked at it he said its probably nothing but lets be safe. They numbed the area with a needle which despite what he said lasted more than 20 seconds and stung like hell but he talked to me the entire time and kept questioning me about everything but my health. And before you knew it, I was being stitched and it was over. I did cry over the results but have been reassured that they got it, it's insitu (had to look that up) and I'm going to be okay. Really the needle was the worst part. Except for the naked bit, but I haven't done that yet. That's probably going to be the worst part.

Suz - At the moment it's only at Patuxent River. The doctor has been terrific so far, really nice guy. Thanks for the support.

 

[Railroad]

Very sorry to hear about your introduction to the Big C club. I'm a cancer survivor so far - (mine was a cancerous cyst in my bladder). You'll be okay.

 

[DoWhat]

(mine was a cancerous cyst in my bladder).

What are the symptoms for that?