Daughter diagnosed 2mm?

The Sentinel Node biopsy is where they use a radioactive tracer to trace the lymph drainage path from the primary lesion.  This is standard protocol in lesions deeper than 1mm.  The purpose is to see if any melanoma cells have left the primary lesion and followed the lymph vessels to the first lymph node (sentinel node) in the drainage path. 

After that is complete (and it the same setting), they then remove additional tissue.  This also is standard protocol.  WLE – wide local excision.  In lesions 2mm and deeper, then take 2cm margins.  This means there will be a sizeable amount of tissue removed.  The "diamond" removal is basically just a technique to close the skin.  If you take 2cm on all sides of a lesion, you can't just pull the skin together to close it.  So there are plastic surgery techniques used to close the skin and minimize the tissue taken if possible.  The purpose of this is to remove any cells that might remain behind and any that might be thinking of "traveling" elsewhere.

I understand that everything is a bunch of medical jargon at this point, but it sounds like your daughter is being treated with standard protocols.  If possible, it would be nice to see a melanoma specialist. 

One thing I would recommend is getting a copy of the pathology report.  It would be nice to know if the deep margin on the 2mm lesion was involved or clear.  Basically, did they leave any depth behind?  Since depth is the most telling prognostic factor, it is helpful to know if they got the complete depth.  The pathology report would tell you that.

The next step is the surgery and to find out whether or not the melanoma has spread.  You really can't do anything else until you know those results.

Feel free to ask any additional questions you have here.

Best wishes,

Janner

The Sentinel Node biopsy is where they use a radioactive tracer to trace the lymph drainage path from the primary lesion.  This is standard protocol in lesions deeper than 1mm.  The purpose is to see if any melanoma cells have left the primary lesion and followed the lymph vessels to the first lymph node (sentinel node) in the drainage path. 

After that is complete (and it the same setting), they then remove additional tissue.  This also is standard protocol.  WLE – wide local excision.  In lesions 2mm and deeper, then take 2cm margins.  This means there will be a sizeable amount of tissue removed.  The "diamond" removal is basically just a technique to close the skin.  If you take 2cm on all sides of a lesion, you can't just pull the skin together to close it.  So there are plastic surgery techniques used to close the skin and minimize the tissue taken if possible.  The purpose of this is to remove any cells that might remain behind and any that might be thinking of "traveling" elsewhere.

I understand that everything is a bunch of medical jargon at this point, but it sounds like your daughter is being treated with standard protocols.  If possible, it would be nice to see a melanoma specialist. 

One thing I would recommend is getting a copy of the pathology report.  It would be nice to know if the deep margin on the 2mm lesion was involved or clear.  Basically, did they leave any depth behind?  Since depth is the most telling prognostic factor, it is helpful to know if they got the complete depth.  The pathology report would tell you that.

The next step is the surgery and to find out whether or not the melanoma has spread.  You really can't do anything else until you know those results.

Feel free to ask any additional questions you have here.

Best wishes,

Janner

The Sentinel Node biopsy is where they use a radioactive tracer to trace the lymph drainage path from the primary lesion.  This is standard protocol in lesions deeper than 1mm.  The purpose is to see if any melanoma cells have left the primary lesion and followed the lymph vessels to the first lymph node (sentinel node) in the drainage path. 

After that is complete (and it the same setting), they then remove additional tissue.  This also is standard protocol.  WLE – wide local excision.  In lesions 2mm and deeper, then take 2cm margins.  This means there will be a sizeable amount of tissue removed.  The "diamond" removal is basically just a technique to close the skin.  If you take 2cm on all sides of a lesion, you can't just pull the skin together to close it.  So there are plastic surgery techniques used to close the skin and minimize the tissue taken if possible.  The purpose of this is to remove any cells that might remain behind and any that might be thinking of "traveling" elsewhere.

I understand that everything is a bunch of medical jargon at this point, but it sounds like your daughter is being treated with standard protocols.  If possible, it would be nice to see a melanoma specialist. 

One thing I would recommend is getting a copy of the pathology report.  It would be nice to know if the deep margin on the 2mm lesion was involved or clear.  Basically, did they leave any depth behind?  Since depth is the most telling prognostic factor, it is helpful to know if they got the complete depth.  The pathology report would tell you that.

The next step is the surgery and to find out whether or not the melanoma has spread.  You really can't do anything else until you know those results.

Feel free to ask any additional questions you have here.

Best wishes,

Janner

Janner is right, of course. This is all standard procedure (and a good procedure) when melanoma is first diagnosed. 

Lymph fluid is a fluid in your body that contains and transports antibodies. It circulates from lymph node to lymph node in lymph vessels, which are similar to blood vessels. When melanoma spreads, a few malignant cells leave the original site and travel through the lymph vessels. They get stuck in the closest lymph node (the "sentinel node") and start to grow there. So your daughter's doctor wants to see if any melanoma cells got away from the original site and took up residence in the sentinel node. Since lymph nodes are very small, they are hard to see. So the surgeon injects a tiny amount of radioactive dye to help him find and remove the correct lymph node. They usually remove several lymph nodes close to the original site and check them all for melanoma. 

Again, this is all standard practice and it does NOT mean that your daughter is in grave danger. Once you have the pathology report and the sentinel node biopsy (SNB) report, post them here and we can help you and your daughter understand them. 

Janner is right, of course. This is all standard procedure (and a good procedure) when melanoma is first diagnosed. 

Lymph fluid is a fluid in your body that contains and transports antibodies. It circulates from lymph node to lymph node in lymph vessels, which are similar to blood vessels. When melanoma spreads, a few malignant cells leave the original site and travel through the lymph vessels. They get stuck in the closest lymph node (the "sentinel node") and start to grow there. So your daughter's doctor wants to see if any melanoma cells got away from the original site and took up residence in the sentinel node. Since lymph nodes are very small, they are hard to see. So the surgeon injects a tiny amount of radioactive dye to help him find and remove the correct lymph node. They usually remove several lymph nodes close to the original site and check them all for melanoma. 

Again, this is all standard practice and it does NOT mean that your daughter is in grave danger. Once you have the pathology report and the sentinel node biopsy (SNB) report, post them here and we can help you and your daughter understand them. 

Janner is right, of course. This is all standard procedure (and a good procedure) when melanoma is first diagnosed. 

Lymph fluid is a fluid in your body that contains and transports antibodies. It circulates from lymph node to lymph node in lymph vessels, which are similar to blood vessels. When melanoma spreads, a few malignant cells leave the original site and travel through the lymph vessels. They get stuck in the closest lymph node (the "sentinel node") and start to grow there. So your daughter's doctor wants to see if any melanoma cells got away from the original site and took up residence in the sentinel node. Since lymph nodes are very small, they are hard to see. So the surgeon injects a tiny amount of radioactive dye to help him find and remove the correct lymph node. They usually remove several lymph nodes close to the original site and check them all for melanoma. 

Again, this is all standard practice and it does NOT mean that your daughter is in grave danger. Once you have the pathology report and the sentinel node biopsy (SNB) report, post them here and we can help you and your daughter understand them.