The big C . on Channel 4.

Couldn't agree more. Any coverage/publicity to make people aware of the seriousness of melanoma ('skin cancer') has to be good. And no it isn't offensive even to cancer in general. I think the point is to show a light side to how anyone would react to being told there demise may be innement.  And seeing as we all gotta go sometime, and we could all sit about and chat about wether its best to know if ur time is up or not, they are all issues that a cancer sufferer faces at some time. And I like the fact it can be made acceptable to laugh about it. I don't want to have to be somber forever more!

And Pin. Glad u gave it a go. I was apprehensive too but hell if you can't laugh!? xx

Well having heard plugs  for this again decided sto have a look again lasst night to see how it was progressing .The programme seems to be more now about the marriage breakdown.  What a sureprise she had a quick bit on the side and he 'found a lump on her bum' must have been some lump. Never mind says the doc, its metastasised we can just slice it off,  outpaitents /local , like having a tooth out . No other treatment ?. Can anyone whio has suffered from melanoma assure me  that it seems to be that easy .  I am wasiting to see what they do with a breast cancer case, that is my area of unfortunate experience . I still didn't get any laughs either and I am sure it does nothing to publicise the  effect of cancer on the patient or dependants.

Yes, it can be that easy to remove a subcutaneous lump, although when they start mounting in number it becomes more difficult.  What is less easy is to remove melanoma once it has metastasised to your lungs (as is the case in the Big C), or your brain or your liver or your kidneys or your heart.  The patient in the programme has not refused chemo because it will make her bald, or surgery because it will disfigure her.  She has refused it because it won't work.  Currently melanoma patients have the "choice" of 2 chemotherapy drugs (one of which is for treating brain metastases), neither have any great effect.  There's no trying other drugs or cocktails of drugs for melanoma patients (outside of clinical trials) cos there aren't any.  It's also quite resiliant to radiotherapy.  So please don't assume that because no "other treatment" is offered it's some kind of trivial cancer, in fact quite the contrary.

Until recently no progress had been made in treating melanoma patients in almost 50 years.  Since the 1800s the only effective method of treatment has been surgery and that pretty much remains the case today, despite the fact that more people will die from melanoma in the UK this year than will be diagnosed with cervical cancer.  Around 10,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma in the UK and around a quarter will die.  These are worse odds than breast cancer, although sadly I appreciate many more women (and men) are dx with breast cancer.  But melanoma doesn't just affect women and men, it affects kids too and is now the most common cancer among 15-34 year olds.

And yes Wiljon, it probably was "some lump", wouldn't be unusual to be the size of a golf ball, as mine was, or an orange or a tennis ball, or a melon.

The character in the programme was lucky that it was operable!

Here, here Marsha. Sorry Wiijon if we appear to be pretty blunt with our comments but we tell it exactly as it is. We have friends on here who have had many 'lumps' removed swiftly & easily but it doesn't always end there for some & the fear of lumps metastising to organs & bones is something we constantly live with because, as Marsha says, conventional cancer treatment doesn't work on melanoma. So the character in the BigC has no options to choose from - she is just living what time she has left to the utmost & trying to keep the dreaded end at bay a little longer by having the lumps removed where possible. Also, please remember that this is an American show & that in the USA consultants are private & have their own practices in their own private clinics so they can do the procedures quickly without having to wait in a general hospital waiting room with the other patients from the whole of Yorkshire like in my hospital! So it's not quick, easy or painless I can assure you! Finding a golf ball size lump in your groin that has suddenly appeared overnight is a terrifying experience, as is the subsequent surgery & 2 week stay in hospital!