Oddly unsure of this

Hi Alottment lover I am no expert and normally I'm on the breast cancer forum which is what I know more about.  From the little I do know I don't think this means you are incurable, spread to lymph nodes in breast cancer doesn't mean incurable so I would assume the same would apply to melanoma.

Your surgeon or oncologist would be the best people to ask as they have all the information on your specific case.  I would have expected them to have told you though if they thought it was incurable.

I hope this helps put your mind at ease a bit but your best bet for accurate information is to ask your doctors.

Wishing you all the best with your treatment.

• Thanks GodWilling for answering.  I know it's an odd question.   I guess with the statistics on 5 year survival and the increased odds with immunotherapy I'd like to believe in a cure.  Personally I feel like I'll never be free from it.  Even if the scans are clear every three months for a year after treatment ends I just have a feeling it will return as once in the lymph nodes it can go anywhere.  

I think to some extent we all worry that it will come back whether there was spread to lymph nodes or not.  On the breast cancer forum I have come across lots of posts where there was spread to the nodes without it coming back, whether it will eventually or not is not possible to know.  But even without spread to the nodes there is a chance of it coming back and 1 in 2 people who have never had cancer are predicted to get it in their lifetime.

I might be wrong but I think it can still spread even if lymph nodes were clear otherwise why have I been given hormone blocking tablets given I had radiotherapy.  My oncologists response when I asked was that it was to catch any stray cells that may have escaped and ended up elsewhere - and I had no lymph node involvement.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that no one is safe, but equally any one of us can get hit by a car at any time.

This is what helps me not worry although of course I do occasionally.  For most of the time though I don't worry about it and get on with my life and I hope that in time you will be the same.

Wishing you all the best with whatever comes next.

Hi Alottment lover, all cancers are different and have different treatments and all people are different in how they progress. I was told my metastatic melanoma was incurable back in 2015, as mine was unresectable, (too much for surgery) I was also told by a registrar that statistically speaking I had less than a year !! Good job I’m not a statistic! 

After 21 months of targeted therapy then immunotherapy Pembro I became No evidence of disease, and my scans remained clear for 18 months. I thought I was home and dry as statistics suggest once clear most stay clear. After being NED my mind usually won’t let me be incurable it considers I’m just waiting to be NED again. I’ve said usually as a few weeks ago I had surgery again for a clinical trial and felt really sick afterwards and until new meds picked me up again I went to a dark place again. 

I reread your profile and I’m not sure if all your cancerous lymph nodes were removed in which case your immunotherapy is adjuvant treatment for one year to prevent it reoccurring, or if you are on a at least 2 year course as not all could be removed. As our cancer has access to immunotherapy (because chemo wasn’t an effective treatment) and immunotherapy is a game changer I think you have every reason to cautiously think positive.

KTatHome, thanks for your kind words.  It's a strange question I asked so it was good of you to try and answer it.

I guess as I'm new to being a patient and not a nurse I do speak my thoughts out loud!

I can see what you say makes sense and maybe I have a way to go yet and as you say the game changer is immunotherapy which I can see from people's info has done amazing stuff.

My surgeon took the one sentinel node that was flagged up with the dye and radioactive stuff and one either side of it. They seemed to just go on the finding of the sentinel node being positive to cancer.

Sounds like you've had quite a battle yourself with our disease.  Keep on responding and fighting xx