I have just been diagnosed with Melanoma 1b on a lesion on my thigh.

Hi  and a very warm welcome to the online community

It's coming up to three years now since I was told I had melanoma (Stage 2a) and I can remember only too well how shocked I felt. This is a perfectly normal reaction and I doubt many, if any, could face this news without feeling scared. However, I can promise you that eventually melanoma will not be the first thing on your mind when you wake up and the last thing on your mind before you fall asleep.

I had a WLE and SLNB so I'm happy to explain in detail anything you want to know about these operations. When the surgeon performs a WLE he takes away 1-2cm of normal looking tissue all around the area, including underneath, that the melanoma was. This is to make sure that no melanoma cells have been left behind. This tissue is then sent off to the path labs for testing and you will be informed of the results. Just like when you had your original excision done make sure to ask how long it's currently taking to get the results back.

Anyone who is Stage 1b or above should be offered a SLNB. It's important to remember that this isn't a treatment but a staging tool and the pros and cons of having it should be discussed with you on Thursday. You might like to take a look at this information produced by NICE which outlines the advantage and disadvantages of having a SLNB.

You're quite right that unless cancer cells are found in your lymph nodes you'll remain at 1b and the WLE is the only treatment you'll need.

After this surgery you'll be checked every 3 monthly for 3 years and then every 6 months for 2 years. These checks involve making sure there's nothing suspicious on your skin and that your lymph nodes are fine too.

If you haven't already been assigned a skin cancer nurse specialist (SCNS) one will be assigned to you and they will be your point of contact if you notice any changes to your skin in between your check-ups. If you do notice anything that you're worried about you do not need to go back to your GP to be referred again, just give your SCNS a call and you'll be in front of the consultant within a few days. 

Pop back if there's anything else you want to ask.

x

Thanks so much for replying, you have been very helpful.

No doubt I will be back as more questions arise x

Hi , a second welcome to the group from me, there’s a lot to take in when you are first diagnosed isn’t there and so many different emotions. I think sometimes it easy to sway from one end of I have had a melanoma and it’s already been removed to lots of what ifs. I think eventually we come to terms that the what ifs are not happening now and we want life to continue as normally as it can be with a bit of uncertainty in the background. 

latchbrook has given you some great links to look at as your first decision will be to decide if you want a SLNB and to fight for it if they don’t offer it, if you want one. I think a lot of these treatment decisions factor in our attitude to risk and what we are more frightened of. Your melanoma on your thigh has gone, but your team will probably want to do a wider cut to ensure that they have a clear margin of skin with no cancer cells so that the melanoma hasn’t got a chance of spreading (unless they already took a wide margin the first time which sometimes happens). If you didn’t have a SLNB you would remain classed as 1b unless some time later you discovered another suspicious melanoma that is bigger and needs to be removed. You’d check your own skin and lymph nodes monthly and keep safe in the sun from now on and have the professional follow up that you have the link for. If you had a SLNB and nothing was found you’d be in the same boat. 

If you had the SLNB and microscopic melanoma cells were found they would start further treatment for you to minimise the risk of those cells growing and spreading this in the past has been to remove more nodes but since September 2018 in the U.K a drug treatment is available to treat the whole body to stop things spreading. This link may help you from melanoma focus.

https://pda.melanomafocus.com/stage-one/ It talks about stage 1 being unlikely to reoccur after a WLE but to talk everything through with your health professionals. 10 years is mentioned a lot not because they are only giving people 10 years but because I think they stop keeping stats after that length of time. 

I have felt the same uncertainty but in a different way, I was diagnosed when melanoma had spread to many of my lymph nodes in 2015, and no primary has ever been found but my story is in my profile like your is, and latchbrook and many others. You mention stage 1b being treatable, my metastatic melanoma is classed as incurable because it had spread, but has been treatable, and I’ve had an all clear twice, I’m saying this to be reassuring but I’m never sure if it is received that way. 

I hope you can give yourself time to get to grips with everything and ask as much as you like here and of your health professionals. It’s scary and raw when you are going through making sense of it until you get your Ok now let’s do this head on. I’m sorry to say many of us still have wobbles at check ups, or results time. But we all here know what that’s like and are here to support each other. 

Best wishes

Hello

I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but you have found a lovely, supportive bunch here, they helped me tremendously.

I too was diagnosed with Melanoma 1B on my thigh at the end of February. I have had the WLE and SLNB, which were both clear, thankfully. I start my first 3 month check up on Thursday. 

Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Big hugs to you. 

Thanks for replying. It helps to hear from people in similar situations. I do hope your check up goes well today. I have an appointment at the hospital later & presume it will be to arrange for WLE & discuss SLNB.

Hope your appointment goes well today .

Don't worry about asking as many questions as you need to and don't leave until you understand everything. 

x 

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you today Teetee

x

Thank you very much latchbrook

And thank you too - good luck to you today too. Write down a list of questions, I wrote down about 20!

Thanks for your reply it has been very reassuring  to me. 

How did your appointment go ?