› Forums › General Melanoma Community › How common is melanoma?
- This topic has 9 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 10 months ago by
Karensway87.
- Post
-
- October 25, 2016 at 5:23 pm
I recently went to a chiropractor who noticed a wierd mole on my back. Two spots. One of them I knew was a tiny round mole from as long as I can remember. But, it has gotten bigger and it is very uneven. And ragged edges. I went to dermatologist and he did biopsy ( no results yet) but, what I am concerned with is him talking to the nurse while doing it saying 12 mm with irregular pigment. He then said to me , it’s probably nothing but, then he handed me a brochure on skin cancer as I left. I have one week to wait for results & am nervous. I just knew someone who died from skin cancer. And a friend who had melanoma & had surgery. The other spot was also biopsied & he said 6 mm irregular pigment. Any insight? I don’t know what any of this means. Thanks
- Replies
-
-
- October 25, 2016 at 8:03 pm
Hello Karen.
Waiting for biopsy results (or scan results) is very nerve-wracking, however, there's nothing we can really do until the results are in. We can worry, we can fret, we can fanatically read and re-read things online – mostly that only serves to worry us more.
In your last sentence you say, "I don't know what any of this means", unfortunately, no-one (not even the doctor) can really tell you anything until those results are in. Some of us have lesions that the doc would swear were benign but they come back as melanoma. Others have nasty looking things that come back completely clear.
The best advice I can give you at this time is to try your best to not worry about it until you know for sure. Yes, I know, easier said than done but please try to find something to distract your mind for a week or so.
Good luck,
Ann
-
- October 25, 2016 at 8:03 pm
Hello Karen.
Waiting for biopsy results (or scan results) is very nerve-wracking, however, there's nothing we can really do until the results are in. We can worry, we can fret, we can fanatically read and re-read things online – mostly that only serves to worry us more.
In your last sentence you say, "I don't know what any of this means", unfortunately, no-one (not even the doctor) can really tell you anything until those results are in. Some of us have lesions that the doc would swear were benign but they come back as melanoma. Others have nasty looking things that come back completely clear.
The best advice I can give you at this time is to try your best to not worry about it until you know for sure. Yes, I know, easier said than done but please try to find something to distract your mind for a week or so.
Good luck,
Ann
-
- October 25, 2016 at 8:03 pm
Hello Karen.
Waiting for biopsy results (or scan results) is very nerve-wracking, however, there's nothing we can really do until the results are in. We can worry, we can fret, we can fanatically read and re-read things online – mostly that only serves to worry us more.
In your last sentence you say, "I don't know what any of this means", unfortunately, no-one (not even the doctor) can really tell you anything until those results are in. Some of us have lesions that the doc would swear were benign but they come back as melanoma. Others have nasty looking things that come back completely clear.
The best advice I can give you at this time is to try your best to not worry about it until you know for sure. Yes, I know, easier said than done but please try to find something to distract your mind for a week or so.
Good luck,
Ann
-
- October 27, 2016 at 12:13 am
Thank you Ann. And I am from Chicago so, the Cubs being in the world series is keeping my mind off of things. I appreciate the advice -
- October 27, 2016 at 12:13 am
Thank you Ann. And I am from Chicago so, the Cubs being in the world series is keeping my mind off of things. I appreciate the advice -
- October 27, 2016 at 12:13 am
Thank you Ann. And I am from Chicago so, the Cubs being in the world series is keeping my mind off of things. I appreciate the advice
-
- October 26, 2016 at 8:06 pm
Ann has given you very good advice and insight. I can address the frequency issue, at least for the US. In the United States about 70,000 are reported as being diagnosed with melanoma every year.
I say "reported" because of two factors. First, not everyone fills out cancer registry information as required. More significantly, at least 60.000 cases of early stage melanoma go unreported every year. Some of these are very thin melanomas called melanoma in situ. Others are deeper and are Stage I but are removed in the office of a dermatologist who simply does not report it.
So, melanoma is significantly under reported in the US. Having said that, it still is not nearly so common as breast cancer, colon cancer, or lung cancer.
Tim–MRF
-
- October 26, 2016 at 8:06 pm
Ann has given you very good advice and insight. I can address the frequency issue, at least for the US. In the United States about 70,000 are reported as being diagnosed with melanoma every year.
I say "reported" because of two factors. First, not everyone fills out cancer registry information as required. More significantly, at least 60.000 cases of early stage melanoma go unreported every year. Some of these are very thin melanomas called melanoma in situ. Others are deeper and are Stage I but are removed in the office of a dermatologist who simply does not report it.
So, melanoma is significantly under reported in the US. Having said that, it still is not nearly so common as breast cancer, colon cancer, or lung cancer.
Tim–MRF
-
- October 26, 2016 at 8:06 pm
Ann has given you very good advice and insight. I can address the frequency issue, at least for the US. In the United States about 70,000 are reported as being diagnosed with melanoma every year.
I say "reported" because of two factors. First, not everyone fills out cancer registry information as required. More significantly, at least 60.000 cases of early stage melanoma go unreported every year. Some of these are very thin melanomas called melanoma in situ. Others are deeper and are Stage I but are removed in the office of a dermatologist who simply does not report it.
So, melanoma is significantly under reported in the US. Having said that, it still is not nearly so common as breast cancer, colon cancer, or lung cancer.
Tim–MRF
-
Tagged: cutaneous melanoma
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.