Melanoma-Newly Diagnosed

Melanoma is the most serious form of Skin Cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be over 60,000 new cases diagnosed in 2006. If you or a loved one has recently been given this diagnosis then you are experiencing a variety of emotions. A cancer diagnosis is frightening and can leave you in a state of disbelief and denial. At the same time you are dealing with these emotions you are faced with a growing number of decisions that could very well affect the rest of your life. The doctor begins discussing staging, treatment, and prognosis. The many appointments with the doctor's office can cause a great deal of stress. As you are experiencing this whirlwind of emotions you are faced with the question "Where do I go from here"?

In December of 2000, 3 days before my 24th Birthday I too was faced with this diagnosis.
After the initial shock wore off and the never ending doctor appointments began, I asked myself "what next"? I have a tremendous amount of respect for the medical community however I am not one to sit back and let the physician make all the calls. I wanted to make sure that I could hold an intelligent conversation regarding my diagnosis with any doctor that I may come in contact with. There are many choices that have to be made in regard to treatment. I felt it was important to understand all options out there. I realized very quickly that there was a lot to learn and fast.

When an initial diagnosis has been made normally the next step will be to schedule a wide local incision with your surgeon to remove a large area around the Melanoma. When that surgery has been completed they will send the tissue samples to a pathology lab. The lab will review the what is sent from the surgeon to ensure that they removed enough of the affected area to get "all of the melanoma". They will also be determining the Clarks level and the Breslow depth. These 2 methods are used in conjunction with staging. The results of these tests will determine your next course of treatment. Breslow classification is determined by tumor thickness as measured by pathologists. It is the most important prognostic indicator. There are other factors that are looked at by the pathology report but the above indicators are the main tools utilized other than presence of ulceration.Depending on your Breslow classification your next step could be to have a Sentinel Node Biopsy. A SNB will determine if the Melanoma cancer cells have spread to the lymphatic system. If the sentinel lymph node (SLN) tested negative the 5 year survival rate is said to be 97.9%. If the SNB tests positive then you will continue to evaluate your best treatment options.

Be sure to read and understand the disease itself as much as possible. Some commons questions to begin with are:
•What is Melanoma?
•How do we determine the stage of cancer?
•What is the length of time between initial diagnosis and when actual treatment begins?
•What are the procedures to determine the stage?
•What criteria are used to determine the stage?
•What are the treatments options for each stage?
•What is the prognosis associated with each stage?
•What is the success rate on the different treatments?
•Is your doctor/surgeon specializing in treating Melanoma? If so, how much has he/she worked with such cases?
•Is there a cancer center in your area that specializes in Melanoma research and or treatment? If not, where is the closest center to you? *Make sure when looking into the treatment facilities you know what stage of Melanoma they specialize in* There are some centers that specialize in the various stages.

Anytime you are dealing with a health crisis it may become difficult to think clearly and make the right choices. It will be imperative that you have a support network. They will help you see clear when you become overwhelmed with emotions. A cancer diagnosis affects more than your physical health. Your emotional health will be fragile as well and you must address those effects just as you do the physical effects. When people reach out to you it is important to try to allow them to be there with you and for you. There may be times when you don't want to talk about it and you may push away individuals that try to reach out to you. When you feel yourself trying to withdraw you should reach out even more to your friends and loved ones.

There are many great resources available. The best resource I found and utilized constantly was www.mpip.org.
Some other helpful sites are:
http://www.cancer.gov/
http://oncolink.com/types/article.cfm?c=18&s=63&ss=497&id=8600
http://www.melanoma.org/
http://www.skincheck.org/
http://www.nationalmelanoma.org/
http://www.cancercare.org/

There is no doubt a cancer diagnosis is one of the most difficult journeys you will encounter. However, there are more resources available now than ever. It is imperative you become an active participant in your treatment decisions. Don't be afraid to ask for a 2nd option or question the treatment that is being recommended. It is your health and you have every right to ask questions and be a part of your healing.