› Forums › General Melanoma Community › already posted yesterday but freaking out. (p16 mutation)
- This topic has 12 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by
Janner.
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- January 23, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Hello,
I already posted yesterday but i am very confused. I have a very high risk of getting melanoma once of multiple times in my life (p16 gene, just discovered).
I always if I watched my skin very closely and be vigilant, I wil catch it very early. But yesterday I was researching some stuff, and discovered that a mole can exist in the dermis too.
All of a sudden it feels like it doesn't matter anymore, because when a mole like that starts to turn into melanoma, and it is already 0.7 deep for example, I have a melanoma of that depth immediately.
Am I right?
I am sorry but I'm freaking out. It is feeling like I don't have control over the situation anymore. I just found peace by having this high risk, the thought of catching it early gave me some control. Now that is gone, because I don't know if one or more of my moles are also in the dermis…
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- January 23, 2017 at 3:55 pm
Relax. Mole that exist in the dermis also exist in the epidermis and they WILL change in the epidermis too. The point is that some moles can have a dermal component, nothing more. Don't think you have hidden moles on your body that you will never see. That isn't the case. And just because a mole has a deeper dermal component does not mean that a melanocyte that changes to melanoma starts at the deepest portion. Pretty unlikely. Even for dermal moles, they start in a radial growth phase – that is they move in a horizontal plane and growth patterns instead of a vertical one. And when it is in a radial growth phase, it is still considered "similar to in situ" in prognosis even with a depth. You are looking at a rare event and trying to make it a death sentence for you and taking things totally out of concept or reality.
WATCH FOR CHANGE. That's the best advice I can give you. Take pictures. The p16 gene is not a death sentence. I have it. I've lived 25 years with melanoma and 3 primaries – first diagnosed at age 29. My Mom and sister have melanoma – Mom is 76. (I'm adopted but just found my birth family and my link to the p16 gene). I know it is a shock but you need to get a grip and monitor moles for change. You will see that (even in moles with a dermal component).
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- January 25, 2017 at 10:39 am
Thank you so much Janner. I am glad to meet someone who is carrying this gene too.I am just so overwhelmed with everything.
Always thought that melanoma grow from top down and if you watch your moles you will find melanoma in the most early stages; in situ or a very thin stage 1.
But I think that is not always the case, right?How deep can moles go in the dermis?
And can new moles start growing from there or are they starting to grow in the epidermis?During my research I saw that most moles who were invasive melanoma with just a radial growth were not deeper dan 0.3/0.4.
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- January 25, 2017 at 10:39 am
Thank you so much Janner. I am glad to meet someone who is carrying this gene too.I am just so overwhelmed with everything.
Always thought that melanoma grow from top down and if you watch your moles you will find melanoma in the most early stages; in situ or a very thin stage 1.
But I think that is not always the case, right?How deep can moles go in the dermis?
And can new moles start growing from there or are they starting to grow in the epidermis?During my research I saw that most moles who were invasive melanoma with just a radial growth were not deeper dan 0.3/0.4.
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- January 25, 2017 at 10:39 am
Thank you so much Janner. I am glad to meet someone who is carrying this gene too.I am just so overwhelmed with everything.
Always thought that melanoma grow from top down and if you watch your moles you will find melanoma in the most early stages; in situ or a very thin stage 1.
But I think that is not always the case, right?How deep can moles go in the dermis?
And can new moles start growing from there or are they starting to grow in the epidermis?During my research I saw that most moles who were invasive melanoma with just a radial growth were not deeper dan 0.3/0.4.
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- January 25, 2017 at 5:39 pm
I just want to say that depth is not the worst thing ever. Not everyone with a deep melanoma has it spread, if that's what you're worried about. I have a friend who had a 19mm melanoma, that's extremely deep, she did not have any spread to lymph nodes or anywhere else. She is a couple years from her diagnosis and still doing well and NED. I think you need to take Janner's advice, if you're worried about ever developing melanoma, just watch moles for change and biopsy ones that change or look different from the rest. Focusing on all this depth stuff isn't going to help you much, it's just going to keep you anxious and leave you with questions.
If you truely don't feel like you have control, then your anxiety is getting the best of you and you could consider getting professional help if you can't move past the fear of getting melanoma.
Wishing you the best.
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- January 25, 2017 at 5:39 pm
I just want to say that depth is not the worst thing ever. Not everyone with a deep melanoma has it spread, if that's what you're worried about. I have a friend who had a 19mm melanoma, that's extremely deep, she did not have any spread to lymph nodes or anywhere else. She is a couple years from her diagnosis and still doing well and NED. I think you need to take Janner's advice, if you're worried about ever developing melanoma, just watch moles for change and biopsy ones that change or look different from the rest. Focusing on all this depth stuff isn't going to help you much, it's just going to keep you anxious and leave you with questions.
If you truely don't feel like you have control, then your anxiety is getting the best of you and you could consider getting professional help if you can't move past the fear of getting melanoma.
Wishing you the best.
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- January 25, 2017 at 5:39 pm
I just want to say that depth is not the worst thing ever. Not everyone with a deep melanoma has it spread, if that's what you're worried about. I have a friend who had a 19mm melanoma, that's extremely deep, she did not have any spread to lymph nodes or anywhere else. She is a couple years from her diagnosis and still doing well and NED. I think you need to take Janner's advice, if you're worried about ever developing melanoma, just watch moles for change and biopsy ones that change or look different from the rest. Focusing on all this depth stuff isn't going to help you much, it's just going to keep you anxious and leave you with questions.
If you truely don't feel like you have control, then your anxiety is getting the best of you and you could consider getting professional help if you can't move past the fear of getting melanoma.
Wishing you the best.
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- January 26, 2017 at 4:02 pm
YES, moles grow from the top down. Dermal moles also have an epidermal component. DO NOT FOCUS ON THAT. Dermal moles are not the norm. Stop the research because you are not doing yourself any good – just adding to your anxiety. The ONLY thing you can do is watch for CHANGE.
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- January 26, 2017 at 4:02 pm
YES, moles grow from the top down. Dermal moles also have an epidermal component. DO NOT FOCUS ON THAT. Dermal moles are not the norm. Stop the research because you are not doing yourself any good – just adding to your anxiety. The ONLY thing you can do is watch for CHANGE.
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- January 26, 2017 at 4:02 pm
YES, moles grow from the top down. Dermal moles also have an epidermal component. DO NOT FOCUS ON THAT. Dermal moles are not the norm. Stop the research because you are not doing yourself any good – just adding to your anxiety. The ONLY thing you can do is watch for CHANGE.
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- January 23, 2017 at 3:55 pm
Relax. Mole that exist in the dermis also exist in the epidermis and they WILL change in the epidermis too. The point is that some moles can have a dermal component, nothing more. Don't think you have hidden moles on your body that you will never see. That isn't the case. And just because a mole has a deeper dermal component does not mean that a melanocyte that changes to melanoma starts at the deepest portion. Pretty unlikely. Even for dermal moles, they start in a radial growth phase – that is they move in a horizontal plane and growth patterns instead of a vertical one. And when it is in a radial growth phase, it is still considered "similar to in situ" in prognosis even with a depth. You are looking at a rare event and trying to make it a death sentence for you and taking things totally out of concept or reality.
WATCH FOR CHANGE. That's the best advice I can give you. Take pictures. The p16 gene is not a death sentence. I have it. I've lived 25 years with melanoma and 3 primaries – first diagnosed at age 29. My Mom and sister have melanoma – Mom is 76. (I'm adopted but just found my birth family and my link to the p16 gene). I know it is a shock but you need to get a grip and monitor moles for change. You will see that (even in moles with a dermal component).
-
- January 23, 2017 at 3:55 pm
Relax. Mole that exist in the dermis also exist in the epidermis and they WILL change in the epidermis too. The point is that some moles can have a dermal component, nothing more. Don't think you have hidden moles on your body that you will never see. That isn't the case. And just because a mole has a deeper dermal component does not mean that a melanocyte that changes to melanoma starts at the deepest portion. Pretty unlikely. Even for dermal moles, they start in a radial growth phase – that is they move in a horizontal plane and growth patterns instead of a vertical one. And when it is in a radial growth phase, it is still considered "similar to in situ" in prognosis even with a depth. You are looking at a rare event and trying to make it a death sentence for you and taking things totally out of concept or reality.
WATCH FOR CHANGE. That's the best advice I can give you. Take pictures. The p16 gene is not a death sentence. I have it. I've lived 25 years with melanoma and 3 primaries – first diagnosed at age 29. My Mom and sister have melanoma – Mom is 76. (I'm adopted but just found my birth family and my link to the p16 gene). I know it is a shock but you need to get a grip and monitor moles for change. You will see that (even in moles with a dermal component).
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Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
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