My Father Will Be Getting An Operation Monday

I am so new to this I do not now where to begin. my Father will be under going an operation on Monday to remove a very large mass of stage 4 melanoma on his back & a lymph node under his right arm. we also found out he has a 6.7 anuerysm (Might be spelled worng, sorry) that will need an operation right after this cancer shit!!!. We are all praying although we are all just as scared. He is 72 & is in better shape than most 20 year old men. Does anyone know the chances of the doctors eliminating the cancer all together? What happens next???? I would appreciate all information someone has to offer. I cannot even believe this could happen to my dad. He has been a picture of health all of his life menatlly & physically. Raised 6 girls & now this.....................

Jeanene Krupa

On 4/11/2007 Fishmonger wrote:

I am so new to this I do not now where to begin. my Father will be under going an operation on Monday to remove a very large mass of stage 4 melanoma on his back & a lymph node under his right arm. we also found out he has a 6.7 anuerysm (Might be spelled worng, sorry) that will need an operation right after this cancer shit!!!. We are all praying although we are all just as scared. He is 72 & is in better shape than most 20 year old men. Does anyone know the chances of the doctors eliminating the cancer all together? What happens next???? I would appreciate all information someone has to offer. I cannot even believe this could happen to my dad. He has been a picture of health all of his life menatlly & physically. Raised 6 girls & now this.....................

 

Jeanene Krupa

 

 

stage 4 melanoma implies distant mets.   He has metastatic disease?   Metastatic melanoma has no cure.  In earlier stages it can be cured by surgery.

I think he may be speaking of Level 4 (unlikely) or Breslow's 4.  Has he had a PET/CT scan??  If there is only local and nodal disease then a cure is possible, but low in the 30 to 40 percent range.  If metastatic , and if the local tumor is not problematic he may be able to skip the resection.

There are no really good treatments for Melanoma that had spread via the bloodstream.  If localized to local and lymphnodes there may be a possiblility of post op Radiation.  I will leave it to Oncryx to discuss systemic therapy.

I would divide systemic therapy into adjuvant and palliative.  In the adjuvant setting, interferon is used in stage 2 (possibly)  and stage 3 disease.  Treatment is for a year and side effects are fairly severe but it has shown to prevent recurrence.   Stage 4 is palliative and  dacarbazine or dacarbazine combinations are used but most have shown little impact or survival.  Clinical trials should always be considered in stage 4.