Question:
I was just diagnosed with melanoma. stage 2. what
should I expect?
I'm 36 male. if they get it out by surgery could I live to be 100? any help?
Answer:
A couple things ... I had a stage 2 that was .58 mm deep. If it is less
than .5mm you are about 100% non recurrence rate.
Don't take it lightly. I knew a guy that had melanoma and they did an
operation and said "ok, you are good to go." No followup or anything. A
year later they found it wasn't removed or it reoccurred and went into his
lymph nodes. Then it got serious but he has ok for 5+ yrs.
Mine was found last Aug / Sept and I went through skin screens, saw a
melanoma specialist at the University of Wash (mecca for cancer). Anything
close was removed ... I had 7 surgeries in about 6 months. I was going to a
the UW every 3 months for the first year (almost one year now). I do self
skin screens for any other ones about once a month (get kind of lax on it
sometimes). I am going in for my yearly skin screen pretty soon (they even
look between my toes). After the first year I will go back every 6 months
for a couple years, then once a year "for the rest of my life". I grew up
with a brother that had cancer (wasn't skin - had chemo / radiation etc) ...
melanoma is one that you easily catch early before it gets bad enough where
you need radiation etc.
Melanoma.com is a good source of info.
