Metastatic Melanoma?

scared4mom · New User Joined: 25 Dec 2007 Posts: 1

To be to the point:

I am 22 years old. My dad has already had melanoma and had multiple malignant melanomas removed from his lower back. So I am somewhat familiar with the cancer.

Yesterday my mother told me about her newly diagnosed melanoma on her chest. I was able to see it - it is very large, ulcerated, and scary looking. What I am worried about is metastatic melanoma. She has had a chronic cough since early October that has not gotten any better. She believed it to be an upper respiratory thing but never went to the doctor although I asked her to repeatedly. Then she started coughing up blood. She still never went. The lymphnode under her right armpit is also enlarged. I am very worried for her, she is going back to the dermatologist / oncologist on Jan 3 - I urged her to get a chest x-ray because I want to make sure the coughing isn't from it spreading to her lungs. Are these usual symptoms of metastasis to the lungs? Would the doctor go ahead and do the x-ray even if my mother doesn't bring up the coughing or ask for one? I, sadly, can see her doing that. I just want to make sure everything is done to make sure it hasn't spread. This coughing up blood and chronic cough just scares me. Any thoughts?

Jim_Hall · Regular Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 48

I know from lung cancer you can cough up blood but I'm not sure of melanoma. You may want to try to find out the breslow depth of her melanoma (on pathology report) which is measure in mm, if you don't already know it. Usually the outcome is worser when the breslow is deeper, for example 2.0mm would be worse than 0.5mm. The lymphnode under her arm could be from the melanoma, but of course there are other causes, such as injury, infection, etc. It could also be from a sentinal node biopsy, has she had one of those? My armpit is swelled out now and my onc. wants me to get a PET/CT to see if it is cancer. I'm seeing an onc. as well and I usually get a chest x-ray and blood tests every now and then, and that's the bare minimum. You might want to post your question at the bulletin board at www.mpip.org if you haven't already. If it was me I think I would at least get a chest x-ray just incase because melanoma is so unpredictable. Also, you may want to consider seeing a dermatologist as well since melanoma can run in families and it seems it is in yours.

ftprinces · New User Joined: 16 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

absolutely force your mother to check out those symptoms asap. my dad's got metastatic melanoma in a number of places - i've lost track - and he originally found he had it 10 years ago b/c he was congested for a long time & was annoyed by it. after a doctor's visit w/ an x-ray, they found the tumor in his sinus. he was in remission for 10 years after they did surgery & some follow-up radiation, but it came back Sept 06 w/ a vengeance. he's now losing a fight to the death against it.

cancer prevention is kind of like an urban legend nowadays. w/ the shit we eat and the environment we're in, the cancer numbers are only going to get worse. and if someone in your family has had it, chances are even more against you. the only thing you can do is catch it in time to treat it & elongate your life w/ quality - not just length.

eat right, live a healthy lifestyle & make your doctor your best friend. otherwise, sort out your affairs & make peace w/ impending bad news.

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