New to cancer and have questions

Peter, welcome to our forum. Thanks for fill in the details on your profile page. I encourage you to update this whenever you get more info.

Are you seeing an oncologist who specialises in melanoma? What have they said regarding radiation treatment? I feel that it can be useful in preventing local recurrence. However, as you may have read melanoma is unpredictable in what it does.

I am concerned that you may not been offered any treatment apart from interferon. Please be aware that it is a very old drug and its use is controversial these days.

Hope this helps.

Frank from Australia

Peter, welcome to our forum. Thanks for fill in the details on your profile page. I encourage you to update this whenever you get more info.

Are you seeing an oncologist who specialises in melanoma? What have they said regarding radiation treatment? I feel that it can be useful in preventing local recurrence. However, as you may have read melanoma is unpredictable in what it does.

I am concerned that you may not been offered any treatment apart from interferon. Please be aware that it is a very old drug and its use is controversial these days.

Hope this helps.

Frank from Australia

Peter,

Welcome to the board, I'm sorry you've had to join us but hopefully will be able to get some information

I recently finished 6 weeks ago radiation due to lymph nodes with etranodal extentions. My history is different than yours and my disease is at the point where they "cherry pick" tumors and did not take many of the nodes. This time the node was sitting on the ulnar node and they pealed it off of the nerve so they know that cells were left behind.  I did get minor lymphademia but after a few lymphademia massages and now wearing a compression sleeve I'm doing well.  The swelling is reduced and now the pain from the nerve is just an annoyance and not even always that much.  

 The tumor board was concerned with lymphademia and nerve damage vs good and thought I should go listen to the radiologist and make my own decision.  Kind of scary thought. I did consult with a radiologist that gathered info for my case and presented enough information about radiation that I decided there were more pro's then con's. My next PET is next Tuesday and hopefully will find that the radiation has kept the cells in check. 

I had the treatments at a local hospital since it was over 4 weeks long. The local rad had little melanoma experience and the consulted radiologist talked to her.  However, at first she marked me short of the elbow area because she was trying to save the joint. I did understand but to me if this was going to work I needed margins to clear the area! She did remark the area.  One other issue also but again I spoke up. It's worth it to also have 2 consults with different radiologists also if you decide on radiation.

The best you can do is to educate yourself and then move on and be part of your plan.

Linda   Stage IV since 06

Peter,

Welcome to the board, I'm sorry you've had to join us but hopefully will be able to get some information

I recently finished 6 weeks ago radiation due to lymph nodes with etranodal extentions. My history is different than yours and my disease is at the point where they "cherry pick" tumors and did not take many of the nodes. This time the node was sitting on the ulnar node and they pealed it off of the nerve so they know that cells were left behind.  I did get minor lymphademia but after a few lymphademia massages and now wearing a compression sleeve I'm doing well.  The swelling is reduced and now the pain from the nerve is just an annoyance and not even always that much.  

 The tumor board was concerned with lymphademia and nerve damage vs good and thought I should go listen to the radiologist and make my own decision.  Kind of scary thought. I did consult with a radiologist that gathered info for my case and presented enough information about radiation that I decided there were more pro's then con's. My next PET is next Tuesday and hopefully will find that the radiation has kept the cells in check. 

I had the treatments at a local hospital since it was over 4 weeks long. The local rad had little melanoma experience and the consulted radiologist talked to her.  However, at first she marked me short of the elbow area because she was trying to save the joint. I did understand but to me if this was going to work I needed margins to clear the area! She did remark the area.  One other issue also but again I spoke up. It's worth it to also have 2 consults with different radiologists also if you decide on radiation.

The best you can do is to educate yourself and then move on and be part of your plan.

Linda   Stage IV since 06

Hi Peter,

I am very sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you definitely have found a good place to get as much info and support you need!

I cannot decide whether you should go for radiation or no, I can just share my experience. Well, actually my cousins experience. She was diagnosed wit melanoma stage 2 in 2009. After a few surgeries she had to decide on treatment, and she was definitely interested in treatment with the strongest effect but also with relatively small side-effects. She decided to have radio + virotherapy in order to kill the malignant cells effectively but at the same time she wouldn`t have the loss of hair, weakness, nausea or unstable emotions. Well, she became NED quite fast so I can say only good things about this combination. After doing a small research about virotherapy, I found that it not only treats melanoma, but activizes immune system and improves life quality after such fight as recovery of melanoma!

Wishing you all the success in finding the right treatment method!

Hi Peter,

I am very sorry to hear about your diagnosis but you definitely have found a good place to get as much info and support you need!

I cannot decide whether you should go for radiation or no, I can just share my experience. Well, actually my cousins experience. She was diagnosed wit melanoma stage 2 in 2009. After a few surgeries she had to decide on treatment, and she was definitely interested in treatment with the strongest effect but also with relatively small side-effects. She decided to have radio + virotherapy in order to kill the malignant cells effectively but at the same time she wouldn`t have the loss of hair, weakness, nausea or unstable emotions. Well, she became NED quite fast so I can say only good things about this combination. After doing a small research about virotherapy, I found that it not only treats melanoma, but activizes immune system and improves life quality after such fight as recovery of melanoma!

Wishing you all the success in finding the right treatment method!

Hi Peter,

 My doctor is Jeffrey Weber, one of the foremost immunologists in the country. After an LND to the right axilla he recommended radiation. He said the radiation would reduce the chance of a local recurrence from 60% to 10%. That's pretty good in my book.

With surgery alone you have a 21% chance of getting lymphedema in your left arm. It doubles to 42% possibility of lymphedema if you add radiation to the area.

I had radiation. I do have lymphedema which is manageable and I have no recurrence to date.

God Bless,

 Jim M.

stage 3C

Hi Peter,

 My doctor is Jeffrey Weber, one of the foremost immunologists in the country. After an LND to the right axilla he recommended radiation. He said the radiation would reduce the chance of a local recurrence from 60% to 10%. That's pretty good in my book.

With surgery alone you have a 21% chance of getting lymphedema in your left arm. It doubles to 42% possibility of lymphedema if you add radiation to the area.

I had radiation. I do have lymphedema which is manageable and I have no recurrence to date.

God Bless,

 Jim M.

stage 3C