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View Full Version : Melanoma, catch it early and survive:



Trailer Park Casanova
03-14-2007, 08:42 AM
My wife works in cutting edge, state-of-the-art cancer treatment.
Chances are if you live in the Southwest, and you need specialty Cancer treatment, you may meet her.
But a even better chance you'll survive to meet her again for a Silver Bullet at the Sand Bar.
That is, if you catch your cancer early, you'll survive.
Take it seriously, check it out:
60.000 people a year in the US get Melanoma. 48.000 worldwide die from it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7e/Melanoma_malignum.jpg/225px-
Despite many years of intensive laboratory and clinical research, the sole effective cure is surgical resection of the primary tumor before it achieves a thickness of greater than 1 mm.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b0/Melanoma_2.jpg/220px-Melanoma_2.jpg
Melanoma stages:
Stage 0: Melanoma in Situ (Clark Level I), 100% Survival
Stage I/II: Invasive Melanoma, 85-95% Survival
Less than 1.00 mm primary, w/o Ulceration,
Stage II: High Risk Melanoma, 40-85% Survival
1.00-2.00 mm primary, w/ Ulceration
Stage III: Regional Metastasis, 25-60% Survival
N1: Single Positive Lymph Node
Stage IV: Distant Metastasis, 9-15% Survival
If you have Melonoma:
You have been given a diagnosis – NOT a death sentence
Melanoma survival statistics describe a ‘group’ of similar patients…. but they may have NOTHING to do with YOUR chance of survival
In advance Stage melanoma, there is NO one “RIGHT” answer (or “BEST” treatment) option for your melanoma
The BEST melanoma patient is an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT in his or her treatment (not a PASSIVE RECIPIENT) .
Risk factors include the following:
Family history of melanoma
Red or blond hair and fair skin
Presence of multiple birthmarks
Development of precancerous lesions
Obvious freckling on the upper back
Three or more blistering sunburns before age 20
Three or more years spent at an outdoor summer job as a teenager
High levels of exposure to strong sunlight

Baja Big Dog
03-14-2007, 09:02 AM
Althouth scarey, that is good info. I (we) tend to take the fricken "MACHO" approach and say....naw, I dont need any sunblock....well read the above and take note.
I heard that most cases are the result lack of protection years ago.

riverbound
03-14-2007, 09:15 AM
Thanks for the info TPC. I have to go get a couple things checked out and this gave me a little kick that I needed.
As a Kid I NEVER wore sunscreen, nowadays I apply it religiously all day long.

AZKC
03-14-2007, 10:22 AM
Theres alot to the different levels and stages, I had a Clark Level 4 and when I first started researching it I scared the shiat out of my self because I confused it with a Stage 4.
This is some info from The Skin Cancer Foundation
Guide to Staging
The most important factors in the staging system are the thickness of the tumor, known as Breslow's thickness, and the appearance of microscopic ulceration, meaning that the skin covering the tumor is not intact.
Breslow's thickness measures in millimeters the distance between the upper layer of the epidermis and the deepest point of the tumor's penetration. The thinner the melanoma, the better the chance of a cure.
In situ melanoma remains confined to the epidermis
Very thin tumors are less than 1.0 millimeter
Thin tumors are 1.01=2.0 mm
Intermediate tumors are 2.0-4.0 mm
Thick melanomas are 4.00 mm or more.
The presence of microscopic ulceration moves the tumor into a later stage. Your doctor may elect to treat a tumor with ulceration more aggressively because of this.
Very thin tumors are classified according to Clark's level of invasion, which describes the number of layers of skin penetrated by the tumor.
Clark's level I. The melanoma occupies only the epidermis.
Clark's level II. The melanoma penetrates to the layer immediately under the epidermis, the papillary dermis.
Clark's level III. The melanoma fills the papillary dermis and impinges on the reticular dermis, the next layer down.
Clark's level IV. The melanoma penetrates into the reticular or deep dermis.
Clark's level V. The melanoma invades the subcutaneous fat.
Its a complicated grading sytem so get as much info as you can and ask questions.
Stage I. This category is subdivided according to the thickness of the primary (original) tumor.
Stage 1a: The tumor is less than 1.0 mm in Breslow's thickness without ulceration and is in Clark's level II or III.
Stage Ib: The tumor is less than 1.0 mm in Breslow's thickness with ulceration and/or Clark's level III or IV, or it is 1.01 - 2.0 mm in thickness without ulceration
Stage II. This is also subdivided according to gradations in thickness and/or depth, and the presence or absence of ulceration.
Stage IIa: The tumor is 1.01 - 2.0 mm in Breslow's thickness with ulceration, or is 2.01-4.0 mm in thickness without ulceration.
Stage IIb: The tumor is 2.01-4.0 mm in Breslow's thickness with ulceration, or is greater than 4.0 mm in thickness without ulceration.
Stage IIc: The tumor is greater than 4.0 mm in Breslow's thickness with ulceration.
Later Stages — Stages III and IV
By the time a melanoma advances to Stage III or beyond,an important change has occurred. The Breslow's thickness is by then irrelevant and is no longer included, but the presence of microscopic ulceration continues to be used in staging, as it has an important effect on the progression of the disease. At this point, the tumor has either spread to the lymph nodes — small organs located in various locations within the body that fight cancer, disease and other infections — or to the skin between the primary tumor and the nearby lymph nodes.
Stage III. A tumor is assigned to Stage III if it has metastasized or spread. This can be determined by examining a biopsy of the node nearest the tumor, known as the sentinel node. Such a biopsy is now frequently done when a tumor ismore than 1 mm in thickness, or when a thinner melanoma shows evidence of ulceration. As the sentinel node biopsy is not considered necessary in all cases, you may wish to discuss the matter with your physician. In-transit or satellite metastases are also included in Stage III. In this case, the spread isto skin or underlying tissue (subcutaneous) for a distance of more than 2 centimeters (1 cm equals 0.4 inch) from the primary tumor, but not beyond the regional lymph nodes. In addition, the new staging system includes metastases so tiny they can be seen only through the microscope.
Stage IV. The melanoma has metastasized to lymph nodes far away from the primary tumor or to internal organs, most often the lung, followed in descending order of frequency by the liver, brain, bone, and gastrointestinal tract.
So if you read all thru that crap I can tell you the one I just went through was a Clark Level 4 Stage 1b maybea II. Much better than a Stage 4.