I have had this mole that started off small 3 years ago then has gradually gotten bigger over time Any doctors on here can take a look at it I don’t have insurance right now

After immunotherapy for a year and 5 SRS treatments plus BRAF/MEK for 4 months, my husband m71 has decided that he is no longer interested in fighting his cancer. He has stopped taking all meds and we have met with his oncologist to discharge him and with hospice to discuss their services.

He has two large and one medium size brain lesions but the immunotherapy cleaned up the cancerous lymph nodes and because he no longer has side effects from the meds, he is feeling much better than he has in awhile.

The doctor has given him a six month prognosis but it truly doesn’t seem real to us. His main symptoms are balance issues and attention/focus/memory problems. He is not in a great deal of pain but we’ve been told to expect headaches and worsening balance and cognitive functioning.

I am curious if anyone has been in a similar situation either themselves or with a loved one and could share their experience and/or what to expect. My husband doesnt want to tell anyone (especially our adult children) because he doesn’t want to worry them. Nor does he want to engage hospice because he says people will think he’s dying. I know he’s in a bit of denial but I don’t want to have unrealistic expectations for where we are.

Thanks for reading

My husband has a superficial spreading melanoma on his forearm, he’s had a biopsy, and had the ultrasound, and a ct scan, the melanoma hasn’t spread to his lymph nodes, ( thank god) but he now has to go to see a surgeon, as it has spread superficially, it’s 0.7mm thickness, we know he has to have a wider excision will be done, and we were told by the GP that he will need a skin graft Has anyone here had a skin graft?how long were you in hospital? And was the cancer removed successfully I’m just so worried about all the shit, he has to go through

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Hello, First of all thank you for reading this . I m researching on melanoma subtypes classification (subtypes like superficial spending melanoma, nodular melanoma,acral lentiginous melanoma etc) using deep learning but I don't found any publically avilable dataset because in India there are very less cases . So if anyone know any publically avilable dataset then please let me know.

Hi, I have to decide between two differing treatment recommendations (one from my med oncologist and another from a “second opinion” doctor from a cancer institute in my local area) and am struggling to finalize this decision. I wanted to see people’s thoughts and experiences and whether or not they’d be helpful for me.

Background: I am 27f with Stage 3C Mucosal Melanoma of the Vulva. This is a subtype of Melanoma, not considered skin cancer and causes are unknown. Rare and aggressive, high chance of reoccurrence, less responsive to immunotherapy, all based on research…. Very, very little research especially on this specific type/location.

My oncologist recommended 2 treatment options:

1. Nivolumab
2. IPO/Nivo

She encouraged the Nivolumab since I’m young w/ a healthy immune system and side effects are potentially not as severe (very simply put.)

She’s less eager to recommend ipo/nivo bc side effects are much more severe and I have over a 50% chance of experiencing them. Because my immune system is healthy and I’m young, she’s expecting a worse reaction and potential life-long side effects, sooner than later, like thyroid issues or liver, etc etc.

She’d rather keep the stronger flip dose option (ipo/nivo) in case we do need something stronger than Nivolumab, alone. Then continue to advance my treatments if needed.

I agree with this considering I still want to enjoy my life as much as possible… and based on what all my oncologists have said, reoccurrence is highly probable regardless of which immunotherapy treatment I choose. So if reoccurrence is pretty much expected regardless, why not at least take the chance in seeing if Nivolumab is enough then? Because what if it is? Would be a miracle, possibly c yes… but if not?? Then we have plenty of options later to advance the treatments if needs be, without needing to jump right into radiation and chemo.

With that being said, the doctor from the local cancer institute, who my med oncologist works with regularly, recommends starting w ipo/nivo due to the nature of this cancer being super rare and aggressive…

Would love people’s two cents, thoughts, and personal experience with treatments. Let me know if there’s anything I need to clarify or questions, too. TIA ◡̈

I’ve been googling and researching but I don’t get specifics. I want to know stats and reviews on the clinic or Dr themself. Looking in Michigan. Thanks

My husband (30) was diagnosed with melanoma that was initially localized to his arm and a couple of lymph nodes. He’s had three treatments of Keytruda (immunotherapy), but recent scans show the cancer has spread to other areas, including his bones. (Within a 3 month span). Making it a stage 4 and the immunotherapy wasn’t working. The report mentioned “marked interval worsening” and “metastatic neoplasm.”

The doctor suggested switching to a combination immunotherapy treatment with Yervoy and Opdivo. However, we were told there’s only about a 30% chance of it working, and the potential side effects are worse than what he’s experienced so far. He was scheduled for surgery next week but they’re telling us that it’s not a good idea to move forward with surgery and instead to start the combination immunotherapy.

We’re trying to understand what all of this means. Has anyone had experience with the Yervoy/Opdivo combination, and what were the results? That’s the only recommendation they have for us and we’re scared of taking a chance on a drug that has 30% chance of working.

We’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure what to expect. Any advice or shared experiences would mean a lot.

I'm an established melanoma patient at a dermatology clinic. Blue Cross Blue Shield is now requiring that I go back to a PCP face to face to get a new referral for this year so I can go back to the dermatologist and get that visit covered. Never mind the Derm expertise and protocol for being seen every three months, but I have to go to a PCP to get a referral to be followed by the dermatologist. Don't kid yourself by thinking that doctors and other licensed providers have autonomy. Insurance companies are on top and are making medical decisions they don't have a license or training to do.

Hi everyone, I had lymph node mapping today and why does no one talk about how badly it hurts getting injected with the radioactive agent?? I thought it was just blue dye before going back, but boy was I wrong.

How was your experience with it? Maybe mine was brutal because of the location (the bend of my left knee) 🤔

I have WLE and SLNB surgery tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Hi 😀 I want to find a good/clean sunscreen before summer starts. I am working hard to prevent skin cancer EVER coming back on my body.

What do you all use?

Diagnosed with Stage 3C melanoma on my scalp back in December 2022, now at Stage 4 with spread to lungs. I'm doing well at the moment thanks to immunotherapy, which is shrinking some tumors in my lungs and keeping others stable.

My concern at the moment is the wound from my surgery back in January 2023 which won't heal. They put a skin graft on the spot where the melanoma was removed but it didn't work, and I had radiation on that spot for several weeks after. As a result, I've been maintaining it for two years and I'm tired of it.

If I keep it moist, I have to tape gauze in place every day to protect it. If I let it dry out or use iodine (suggested by my surgeon), it forms a scab but fluid ends up pushing through and it never seals to allow the tissue to grow properly.

The original surgical team (specializing in melanoma) knows my situation and I've gone to them several times for help, but nothing they suggest has worked. Does anyone have experience with plastic surgery or similar with an irradiated wound? I'm on the hunt for a surgeon but would love any advice or suggestions. TIA

A few months ago he had a biopsy done on his arm, the results were inconclusive so they did a wider and deeper biopsy and we got our melanoma diagnosis today.

He goes in to have some kind of ink injected into his arm next week to see if it’s spread to his lymph nodes but what is the likelihood that it’s been caught early? The doctor felt around his arm for swollen lymph nodes or new spots and didn’t see or feel anything, and the second biopsy went a little deeper in, like 0.5mm deeper and found melanoma.

I also would like to know, how do you stay positive during a cancer diagnosis? I can’t stand the thought of losing my dad and I’m just wondering how do you cope?

Hello community I live in a small rural community where in person shopping is very limited. Looking for recommendations for swim shirts / rash guard uv protective clothing to purchase online *or in person in larger centre's for my husband prior to a tropical vacation later this year. He's 6'1" and a solid guy so has to have 1xl to 2xl sizing. He has had melanoma on his keg and is being monitored yearly for other spots. I figured if anyone had good resources it might be this group. *Shipping to a US post office box is possible but makes returns really difficult so Shipping to Canada preferred. Thanks

Hi everyone!

I posted a few months ago about our 3 year old being diagnosed with stage 2b melanoma on his chest. Everyone here was so kind and it meant so much to me!

He had surgery a couple weeks ago and there was no spread to the lymph nodes. He had a WLE at the original tumor site and then a punch biopsy of another spot that I was a little worried about. There was just a very small amount of the original tumor left behind and it was removed with well over a cm of healthy skin surrounding it, so it’s gone now, and the surrounding area is clear! The other spot turned out to be an atypical mole but the surgeon said it was good we had it removed either way. So, successful surgery! His CT scan did not uncover any other sites and his lymph nodes were all clear.

They have sent the tissue to a big educational children’s hospital a couple states away and we are waiting on those results to see if we should take any further steps, but it could be up to 8 weeks before we get those results. A little nerve wracking but nothing we can do about it.

So basically, a successful surgery and he is recovering well! We’re hopeful he won’t require any immunotherapies just because that’s SO MUCH for a 3 year old to go through, but if he does, he will be brave and tough for those too. He’ll follow up with a pediatric dermatologist at least 2x a year until adulthood and with his oncologist at least 2x a year for the foreseeable future too.

We’re really thankful and hopeful that this will be the extent of this. I’ve been checking his skin every couple of days, probably being a little overbearing about it but I don’t care. Trust your instincts for your kiddos if something looks a little weird or just doesn’t sit right with you!

My partner and I are still reeling from a melanoma diagnosis on Thursday. He had a mole removed from his scalp in November and now have found out that his mole was melanoma 1.3cm 1b. The next steps are to take more of the skin away from near the mole site, then inject a isotope to check him lymph glands and possible removal of the glands for a biopsy. My partner is very scared and not sleeping. He keeps googling and has read that the outcomes are much worse for moles on the scalp. Is there anything I can say to reassure him? I have no idea what to say or do to make him feel better. We are based in the UK so will have the treatment on the NHS

Hello! Have been lurking on here about a month now since receiving initial diagnosis and have found such great information and wonderful encouragement. 40Y/F diagnosed with melanoma on lower lip, superficial spreading type, Breslow depth at least .7mm and ulcerated, mitosis rate listed as >1, initial path staging pt1b. Had a WLE and SLNB done a week ago and just received wonderful news today that both WLE margins were clear and SLNB was negative, however, the entire tumor depth was about double what we had thought at 1.6mm. This was very surprising to me as this started as a microscopic dark freckle on my bottom lip just this past August that began to rapidly grow until the initial biopsy was done at the beginning of December. To my knowledge I thought superficial spreading type was supposed to be more slow growing so I am terrified it was able to get this deep in just a few months. My ENT who performed the WLE seemed equally shocked as he assured me there didn't seem to be much more depth to it than what the initial biopsy stated at .7mm so at the most I think we thought it might get to 1mm. I also had Castle testing done and came back as a 2B which will put me on even higher alert going forward. My follow up with oncology is next week and I plan to plead for full body scans just incase, maybe some further genetic testing? Is there anything else that anyone might recommend at this point or think might be helpful? I want to try and check all of the boxes now to hopefully do all we can to prevent recurrence or worse in the future. Thank you!!

Boa noite a todos, preciso comprar interferon alfa para tratamento de melanoma canino, gostaria de saber se no Paraguai tem pra vender? Pq aqui no Brasil é restrito ao SUS.

She had the surgery three weeks ago and the recovery went well, but we just received the news of the pathological results and they said it's an "early stage" melanoma.

I'm pretty freaked out about this but the clinic told us we shouldn't really worry too much and that she comes in for consultations but that's not before late next week.

I have no idea or experience with this so could you please please share any advice?

Thank you so much.

Hi everyone. 43F dx'd with Melanoma on 12/30. I had a mole biopsied on my back, upper right shoulder. I am having surgery 1/20 to remove what was missed during initial visit. They know it's deeper than just my epidermis, but not sure of stage yet. I am pretty freaked out, and still in shock.

I've had so many people ask what they can do for me, both now and after surgery, and while I am typically the one leading the meal train charge, and running errands, it's crazy to be on the flip side of this with cancer. I just had another major surgery in Nov. '24, so I almost have guilt to need help again, especially so soon.

I want to be able to give people ideas as I know how much better I feel to be helping. Right now I am just drawing blanks though. What did you need? What do you wish you could have had help with?

TIA.

I was diagnosed Stage 3C last year and have undergone 9 months of Opdivo after the surgery. I went in for another round of scans this week. There's something about the uncertainty surrounding scans that gets to me. Emotionally I felt great going into the scans, like it was any other day, but that little shred of the possibility of unfavorable findings has kept me up tonight.

The oncologist recommended 12 months of treatment, so I'm getting close to the end. I've done great staying positive through the process and not letting the side effects get me down, but for some reason waiting for the results of this round of scans has got my head spinning.

I work in an industry that requires a medical clearance so I've essentially had to put my career on hold since the diagnosis. It has been hard not doing the kind of work I want to be doing, and for me the "reward" for enduring this process was getting back on the path once this is over with. If there is a recurrence I lose my medical and will need to find a new career path entirely. I fear the possibility of having ensured all this just to have it taken from me right before the finish line.

That's all I have to share right now. I have an appointment with the doc to go over the scans in a few days and I need to keep my head on straight until then. Melanoma sucks.

UK based - I had a mole on the back of my arm removed 13th Nov and chased the results yesterday. I have been given an appointment for 13th Jan however, I saw a consultant in a different area today and he looked up my results (he admitted after that he shouldn't, but as it had been so long he thought the results would be fine) It was a malignant melanoma but he couldn't interpret the results. I couldn't take in much at the time, but remember seeing that there was a 1.6mm margin and stage IV Clark. Can anyone give me an indication of what this means please? I told my consultant that I wouldn't tell them that he showed me my results so I can't call and say I already know

Hopefully my last post until surgery. My wife is having "slow mohs" next Tuesday for a centimeter round MIS on her scalp. Since they have to send out the tissue to be reviewed by pathology, it is 2 days, and possibly 3 if they have take out more margin. It really makes me wonder, is "mohs" the best option here, to prevent recurrence? Is it not a bit more of a guessing game? Surely a doctor worth his salt would say "timeout, I really need to do a wide excision on this to make sure it doesn't come back."

Thoughts?

Hi all, My Dad has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer (BRAF negative) with mets in his brain, lungs and liver. My family and I are devastated to say the very least. He has started radio and immunotherapy, and has an excellent team looking after him, but the stats are still quite sobering. I’m an ICU nurse for context so I have a decent understanding of it all. I guess I’m just wondering whether anyone has any positive stories they can please share after being in a similar position? Thank you x

I was diagnosed with Stage 3c in July 2022 had surgery in oct 22, started opdivo in November 2022, lost my job because of it. I was an over the road truck driver and couldn’t pass physical taking it guess they don’t want you in cancer treatment driving a semi down the road makes sense to me but really sucked. Few months later discovered another lymph node had began to grow it had spread. So took me off that put me on medical study to take Mektovi and Braftovi before and after surgery, I began to take Mektovi and Braftovi for 6 months with check ups monthly and 3 month scans. Had the surgery they removed 28 lymph nodes which I wasn’t expecting but hey what ever that was all the cancer I knew about so cancer free I guess. I still have to take Braftovi and Mektovi for another 6 months after, only 3 months left as I type this. Honestly, I wasn’t nearly as scared as I should’ve been through out it all only mad I couldn’t work doing what I love. Wasn’t sure if I’d post this or not it was more just a way to relieve stress thanks to any who read it, sorry to any who feel I wasted your time telling my story I did try to keep it short.

My husband has metastatic melanoma with brain mets and has decided to stop all treatment and testing. He was diagnosed in October 2023 and did 9 Opdualag treatments plus SRS. He has been on Braftovi and Mektovi since early October 2024. His last PET scan showed no cancer in his body but the brain metastases had not shrunk at all. At our last onc appointment we talked about a brain MRI in January being the determining factor of continuing with the BRAF/Mek or not but my husband has decided he doesn’t even want to know. He just wants to stop with everything. My question is if anyone has had this experience with their loved one just shutting down without confirming their cancer was too far gone? I want to respect his decision but, in an odd way, I’m also concerned that he is not as close to succumbing to the cancer as he thinks he might be and it will be a long, slow slide and he may not qualify for hospice for awhile. I’m concerned that a long slow decline might also make him desperate. He’s mentioned looking for states with legal assisted suicide at least a couple of times. Thanks for reading. I’m struggling with how to feel about it.

Hi, I just finished a resection surgery AND a sentinel lymph node biopsy after being diagnosed with suPeR eXTrA rAre aNd hArDLy sTuDiEd (🤪) Mucosal Melanoma of the Vulva, lol. Pathological staging was Stage IIB.

I just got my biopsy result today from the sentinel lymph node surgery and 2 out of the 3 nodes that were removed showed cancer cells. I am unsure of what the new staging is.

I am scheduled to be transferred to a medical oncologist to talk about next steps and, specifically, to start immunotherapy.

Does anyone else have this specific melanoma + location? And/or have you done immunotherapy? Success rates and immunotherapy studies are spread so thin for this cancer considering the rarity of it (on top of being 27f.)

My surgical oncologist is acting like there’s nothing to worry about, but I’m such a realist and don’t want to be coddled over it. I get enough of that as it is. I just want to know if there’s anybody else that has a similar experience as me and any insight as to what to expect next w immunotherapy.

TIA for any thoughts on any portion of this◡̈