Testing

Hi Nit.Thu57 

I'm sorry to read that your boyfriend has recently been diagnosed with melanoma especially as I can see that you've been dealing with womb cancer. How is your treatment going?

Whether the lymph nodes are checked, called a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), or not depends on what Stage your boyfriend's melanoma is. As you haven't said, I'm attaching the NICE guidelines where you can then see if he should be having a SLNB or not. Your boyfriend's consultant will have been guided by these but your boyfriend can always ask why he's not eligible for the SLNB if, according to the guidelines, he is.

If a SLNB is not required then it's usual for the WLE to be carried out under a local anaesthetic as usually it's no different to the original excision biopsy just larger.

I hope this helps.

Thanks .  He lives over an hour away so I was not with him when he talked to his doctor and he didn't ask anything.   He also doesn't have access to any online portal as I do    He was here when he got the call from the cancer center saying it would only need local.  I can't go with him to that appointment as I just started radiation here.   

So would the initial biopsy have indicated the depth? 

So different than my diagnosis . I was sent right to a gynecologist amd then they removed everything.  I was kept informed all the way through and have all of my information in my portal .  Because I know little about his condition I'm finding it more frightening 

Yes Nit.Thu57 , the excision biopsy measures the depth of the melanoma and he should have been told what it was at his appointment for his results.

He will have been allocated a skin cancer nurse specialist (SCNS), sometimes referred to as a keyworker or Macmillan nurse, so if he gives her a call then she can tell him what depth the melanoma was and what Stage he is. She will also be able to explain why he's not having a SLNB.

If he doesn't have the details of his SCNS, then if he phones his consultant's secretary she will be able to give him his SCNS's contact details.

x

Now he says he "thinks" the doctor said he is doing a sentinel lymph node dissection.   His lack of information , or desire to acquire any info is very frustrating to say the least. 

I originally had assumed they weren't doing it since they're doing it with local anesthesia 

Not know info is stressful to me...