Health-News-Tips

My dad has been struggling with cancer for about 4 yrs now. The first time the cancer was found in the bladder, kidneys. He now has only one kidney. Later he was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer at stage 3. Back in Nov 2007 he had a surgery removing some lymph nodes and then he began chemo shortly after which made him to sick and he quit taking it after about 3 wks. That was December07-Jan08 about 3wks ago in May 08 they found that the cancer has spread to the lungs and I believe there are 2nodes in each lung and now I was told my dad has stage 4 melanoma skin cancer. I just want some information I have a 10yr old son and his papaw is his world. My dad is only 54 yrs old I want to know what the lifspan is. All honesty be blunt I need to know and prepare myself and my son.

As you already know your father’s situation is very grave. I’d look into the clinical trials currently being done for stage 4 malignant melanoma. This site will let you search for hospitals located nearby that are involved with ongoing melanoma clinical trials. Select malignant melanoma then enter the state or states where you could possibly go.
http://www.clinicaltrialssearch.org/clinical_trials_by_state.html
good luck to your father &
all the best to you and your family

I’m worried about a spot on my arm- a small, weird freckle that’s light with dark spots, itchy and bumpy. I don’t think it’s new or has changed, I noticed it more when it started to itch about a year or two ago.

I think I should get it checked out but I sometimes overreact to these kinds of things and end up with HUGE hospital bills. My insurance SUCKS.

My mom and maternal grandmother have both had skin cancer/melanoma. Mom said hers was like a "pimple that wouldn’t go away". They live too far to look at it for me. I know that me being fair skinned and not always using sunscreen improves my chances of having skin cancer too.

How can I tell if I have something worth checking out? Is there a website with photos, or a way to get it looked at for free?

go to you local health clinic i know ours offer two or three times a year free screening so you can always ask

Would they refer them to a specialist or a demotologist ??? Thanks
I dont have cancer btw just a question.

If you doctor suspects that you have a malignant melanoma, he or she will arrange for the lesion and an area of surrounding skin to be removed to decrease the risk of malignant cells remaining. The tissue will be examined under a microscope. If the tissue is cancerous, a larger portion of skin may be removed, which may require a skin graft. Samples may also be taken from the lymph nodes near the melanoma and examined for cancerous cells, the presence of which would indicate that the cancer has spread. If it has, you may have chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or biological therapies.

Superfcial melanomas that are treated early are usually cured, but melanomas are more often fatal in men, possibly because men do not always report symptoms immediately. If melanomas are aggressive or penetrate deep into the skin, the outlook is less optimistic, and, if they spread to other areas of the body, they are often fatal.

You will be referred to a specialised within a hospital environment.

Good luck.

http://i34.tinypic.com/232lw4.jpg
I’ve had this for almost about 3 years I think. maybe almost four years. I use to go to the pool a lot and sometimes I were sunscreens. I don’t know.. maybe I missed some spot. But now I’m really wondering if I have Melanoma Skin cancer and I’m also wondering if there’s a chance if I’m going to die.. And do I have to go through any therapy to get rid of this?

Here’s the story, it started growing a lot this year and it’s been itching all of a sudden. And the mole is almost an inch wide. I shave. could it cause it. And inside my leg around the mole feels a bit rougher than the other side behind my left leg (I have the mole behind my upper leg). And my big sister has the same thing. It looks bruised and bloody like too.

Can someone that knows a lot about Melanoma reply to this cause I can’t handle the worries anymore.

Yes go see a doctor my step dad has a mole like that on his back and its cancerious. I suggest getting treatments and doing as much as you can for it

My dad has had several lumps removed from this one area on his arm. He originally had some crusty, weired looking mole there it got worse, had it biopsied, and had it cut out.
It has returned a couple of times, and so had more cut away. He gets regular check ups and he has been good for a while., but now whatever it is has returned and he has to have more flesh cut away, this time he has to have general anesthetic as it is alot deeper and they don’t wan’t to damage the nerves.

Please explain, does he actually have skin cancer or do they cut these lumps and bumps out so it doesn’t progress into melanoma skin cancer?

How come there is not treatment given to prevent the lumps from returning?

My dad’s arm has a huge crater in it already. Is he in danger of losing his arm?

It is difficult to know what exactly is going on, because I live in another country. All this is relayed to me by phone or e-mail.

I’ve had basal cell skin cancer removed and my husband has had melanoma removed. I’d say that whatever is growing on your Dad is definitely skin cancer and if he hasn’t seen a dermatologist who specializes in skin cancer, he really should.

I’m not as familiar with melanoma, but for my basal cell cancer they did something called a Moh’s procedure where they sliced out the cancer…sent me to the waiting room and carefully examined the tissue they removed from me. If the bottom layer of the tissue still has cancer cells in it, then they immediately take you back and cut deeper and deeper until they get it all.

I doubt that your dad would need his arm removed, but they might need to dig pretty deep to get all the cancer. Melanoma is dangerous if it spreads beyond your skin but if they can catch it early, its pretty treatable.

Best of luck to you!