The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content within the patient forum is user-generated and has not been reviewed by medical professionals. Other sections of the Melanoma Research Foundation website include information that has been reviewed by medical professionals as appropriate. All medical decisions should be made in consultation with your doctor or other qualified medical professional.

Melanoma while pregnant

Forums General Melanoma Community Melanoma while pregnant

  • Post
    Weaver1228
    Participant

      *I will preface this post by saying I am a 34 year old female with a previous past of basal and squamous cell carcinoma. I am currently 17 weeks pregnant.

      I have had an evolving dark spot on my left posterior shoulder for several months (6-8mo). It became pretty dark (almost black) and very raised. I decided I needed to have it looked at. I had my biopsy done on September 15th and it came back as a malignant melanoma with a depth of 1.20mm and Clark's level IV, both peripheral and deep margins positive as well.

      I have been prepped and prepared for surgery to remove the tumor and preform the lymph node test this coming Tuesday. I met with the OBGYN team this afternoon to go over the protocol for the surgery in regards to my pregnancy. I feel as though I have been fairly calm throughout this process until I just received a call from the Pathologist who is working with my case who said he wants to get a second opinion because he is not sure it is melanoma now and that it could take WEEKS to get my results back so the surgery has been put on hold. My lab work has already been reviewed by two other dermopathologists and several oncologists who are all in agreement while the original diagnosis. Because the risk factor increases the further along I am into my pregnancy, I'm not sure where to go from here.

      Has anyone had a malignant melanoma and then be told the diagnosis was wrong? Especially with a depth and Clark's level read such as mine? How prevalent are false positives with melanoma? I feel as though even if it does come back as negative I will likely have trust issues with my doctor for putting me through this stress. 

    Viewing 1 reply thread
    • Replies
        Janner
        Participant

          I'm suspecting they might think it is a Spitz nevi.  These look almost identical to melanoma under a microscope but are actually benign.  That also corresponds with "weeks" for results because they are probably performing a FSH test to do DNA analysis on the lesion.  If the DNA looks normal, then not malignant.  If it has lots of defects, then melanoma.  My guess but the best way to know for sure is ask.

            Weaver1228
            Participant

              They told me that it would take weeks mostly because of timing from getting my specimen which is in one city over to the Oncology department in another city and then sent out to the new pathologist in a different state. Never said anything about a Spitz nevi but I'll ask. Thank you! 

            DHinAZ
            Participant

              Hi, I am going though a very similar situation at 19 weeks pregnant.  My slides went to 3 different labs and had FISH testing before it was confirmed.  This process took several weeks and I had trouble getting information until the dx was confirmed by the final lab.  They all agreed that pregnancy made it challenging to diagnose.  

              What I have learned…I would ask them which lab the are sending to and what additional tests they are requesting.  Make sure it is a dermatopathology lab with a lot of melanoma expertise (major melanoma center) to get an answer.  Get the labs contact information and    follow-up on shipping.  The place where you are having WLE/SLNB will likely want your slides too.  I recently had a WLE and SLNB under local anesthesia and everything went well with the procedure.  The oncologists, anedthesiologists, and perinatologists all consulted and assured me the baby would be fine.  

              I hope all goes well for you and you have great results! 

          Viewing 1 reply thread
          • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
          About the MRF Patient Forum

          The MRF Patient Forum is the oldest and largest online community of people affected by melanoma. It is designed to provide peer support and information to caregivers, patients, family and friends. There is no better place to discuss different parts of your journey with this cancer and find the friends and support resources to make that journey more bearable.

          The information on the forum is open and accessible to everyone. To add a new topic or to post a reply, you must be a registered user. Please note that you will be able to post both topics and replies anonymously even though you are logged in. All posts must abide by MRF posting policies.

          Popular Topics