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Question: Have stage one or two melonoma on top of my head. What is the prosedure or the out come of this surgery?
Brief Answer:
Wide excision surgery
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX
Stage I and II melanoma is treated by wide excision that is surgery to remove the melanoma as well as a margin of normal skin around it. The amount of normal skin removed depends on the thickness of the melanoma, but no more than 2 cm (4/5 inch) of normal skin needs to be removed from all sides of the melanoma. Wider margins make healing more difficult and have not been found to help people live longer.
Because the melanoma may have spread to lymph nodes near the melanoma, many doctors recommend a sentinel lymph node biopsy as well. This is an option that you and your doctor should discuss. If it is done and the sentinel node contains cancer, then a lymph node dissection (where all the lymph nodes in that area are surgically removed) will likely be done at a later date.
For some patients (such as those with lymph nodes containing cancer), doctors may advise treatment with interferon after surgery (adjuvant therapy). Other drugs or perhaps vaccines may also be recommended as part of a clinical trial to try to reduce the chance the melanoma will come back.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.
Regards
DR De
Wide excision surgery
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX
Stage I and II melanoma is treated by wide excision that is surgery to remove the melanoma as well as a margin of normal skin around it. The amount of normal skin removed depends on the thickness of the melanoma, but no more than 2 cm (4/5 inch) of normal skin needs to be removed from all sides of the melanoma. Wider margins make healing more difficult and have not been found to help people live longer.
Because the melanoma may have spread to lymph nodes near the melanoma, many doctors recommend a sentinel lymph node biopsy as well. This is an option that you and your doctor should discuss. If it is done and the sentinel node contains cancer, then a lymph node dissection (where all the lymph nodes in that area are surgically removed) will likely be done at a later date.
For some patients (such as those with lymph nodes containing cancer), doctors may advise treatment with interferon after surgery (adjuvant therapy). Other drugs or perhaps vaccines may also be recommended as part of a clinical trial to try to reduce the chance the melanoma will come back.
Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.
Regards
DR De
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Hi thanks for the answer to my first question, my melonoma is on top of my head ,where would the the biopsies of the ov the limp noid be and is it done?
Brief Answer:
Lymph nodes on same side of neck
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Since your melanoma is on top of your head your doctor will ask you to lie down on a couch in the treatment room.
First you have an injection of local anaesthetic into the area close to the mole in your head. Then the doctor will cut out the mole and 2mm of the surrounding tissue all around. They it will be send to the laboratory for close examination under a microscope. You then have a few stitches put in to sew up the area where the mole was cut out.
If your mole biopsy contained cancerous or precancerous cells, a tissue specialist (histopathologist) will look at the biopsy tissue very closely in the laboratory. Your doctor will ask you to go into hospital for an operation to take away more tissue. This aims to remove any abnormal cells that may have been left behind in the area close to the melanoma. It reduces the chance of the melanoma coming back in the future. The operation is called a wide local excision which will bo done in your head melanoma.
Since you are having melanoma on your scalp or head, the lymph nodes on the same side of your neck would be removed.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health.
Regards
DR De
Lymph nodes on same side of neck
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Since your melanoma is on top of your head your doctor will ask you to lie down on a couch in the treatment room.
First you have an injection of local anaesthetic into the area close to the mole in your head. Then the doctor will cut out the mole and 2mm of the surrounding tissue all around. They it will be send to the laboratory for close examination under a microscope. You then have a few stitches put in to sew up the area where the mole was cut out.
If your mole biopsy contained cancerous or precancerous cells, a tissue specialist (histopathologist) will look at the biopsy tissue very closely in the laboratory. Your doctor will ask you to go into hospital for an operation to take away more tissue. This aims to remove any abnormal cells that may have been left behind in the area close to the melanoma. It reduces the chance of the melanoma coming back in the future. The operation is called a wide local excision which will bo done in your head melanoma.
Since you are having melanoma on your scalp or head, the lymph nodes on the same side of your neck would be removed.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health.
Regards
DR De
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Hi since I am on xarelto a blood thinner,will there be lots of bleeding? And will it be cautrized? What are the chances of it comming back with stage one or two?
Brief Answer:
Regular follow up
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Since you are on a blood thinner u may need to stop the medication during the period of surgery.Cauterization may not be necessary and few stiches may be enough to close the minor operation.
Most cases of stage 1 and 2 melanoma are cured with a minor surgical operation that is wide excision surgery.
One must be careful to protect your skin from the sun. Once you have had a melanoma, you should no longer sunbathe or use sunbeds. This is very important because your risk of developing another melanoma is higher than average.
If you have completed treatment, your doctors will still want to watch you closely. It is very important to keep all follow-up appointments. Follow-up is needed to check for signs of the cancer coming back, as well as possible side effects of certain treatments.
Your follow-up schedule should include regular skin and lymph node exams by yourself and by your doctor. In addition to the exams, imaging tests such as x-rays or CT scans may be recommended for some patients.
A typical follow-up schedule for melanomas thinner than 1 mm generally calls for physical exams every 3 to 12 months for several years. If these exams are normal, you can return for a checkup once a year. Your doctor may recommend more frequent exams if you have many moles or atypical moles.
For thicker melanomas or those that had spread beyond the skin, a typical schedule might include physical exams every 3 to 6 months for 2 years, then every 3 to 12 months for the next few years. After that, exams are done at least once a year. Some doctors also recommend imaging tests such as chest x-rays or CT scans every 3 to 12 months for the first several years, especially for people who had more advanced stage disease.
It is also important for melanoma skin cancer survivors to do regular self-exams of their skin and lymph nodes. Most doctors recommend this at least monthly. You should see your doctor if you find any new lump or change in your skin. You should also report any new symptoms (for example, pain, cough, fatigue, loss of appetite) that do not go away. Melanoma can sometimes come back many years after it was first treated.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health.
Regards
DR DE
Regular follow up
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Since you are on a blood thinner u may need to stop the medication during the period of surgery.Cauterization may not be necessary and few stiches may be enough to close the minor operation.
Most cases of stage 1 and 2 melanoma are cured with a minor surgical operation that is wide excision surgery.
One must be careful to protect your skin from the sun. Once you have had a melanoma, you should no longer sunbathe or use sunbeds. This is very important because your risk of developing another melanoma is higher than average.
If you have completed treatment, your doctors will still want to watch you closely. It is very important to keep all follow-up appointments. Follow-up is needed to check for signs of the cancer coming back, as well as possible side effects of certain treatments.
Your follow-up schedule should include regular skin and lymph node exams by yourself and by your doctor. In addition to the exams, imaging tests such as x-rays or CT scans may be recommended for some patients.
A typical follow-up schedule for melanomas thinner than 1 mm generally calls for physical exams every 3 to 12 months for several years. If these exams are normal, you can return for a checkup once a year. Your doctor may recommend more frequent exams if you have many moles or atypical moles.
For thicker melanomas or those that had spread beyond the skin, a typical schedule might include physical exams every 3 to 6 months for 2 years, then every 3 to 12 months for the next few years. After that, exams are done at least once a year. Some doctors also recommend imaging tests such as chest x-rays or CT scans every 3 to 12 months for the first several years, especially for people who had more advanced stage disease.
It is also important for melanoma skin cancer survivors to do regular self-exams of their skin and lymph nodes. Most doctors recommend this at least monthly. You should see your doctor if you find any new lump or change in your skin. You should also report any new symptoms (for example, pain, cough, fatigue, loss of appetite) that do not go away. Melanoma can sometimes come back many years after it was first treated.
If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you good health.
Regards
DR DE
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
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