lpas wrote:So I had an appointment with the dermatologist this morning, who excised a small but suspicious-looking mole from a spot on my upper thigh that rarely sees sun exposure. The biopsy results won't be back for a week or so but she thinks there's a 50/50 chance it's melanoma. If I hadn't recently seen posts about this by both JDinNC and DK37, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about seeing a dermatologist.
So...here is my public service announcement. Per the dermatologist, having colon cancer means you are at increased risk for melanoma, regardless of sun exposure. Check your body for moles. If you see anything even the slightest bit suspicious, get it evaluated. Here are the signs to look for (from the American Cancer Society):
The ABCDE rule is a guide to the usual signs of melanoma. Be on the lookout and tell your doctor about spots that have any of the following features:
A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.
B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.
C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.
D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.
E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color.
Some melanomas do not fit the rules described above. It is important to tell your doctor about any changes or new spots on the skin, or growths that look different from the rest of your moles.
Other warning signs are:
A sore that does not heal
Spread of pigment from the border of a spot into surrounding skin
Redness or a new swelling beyond the border
Change in sensation – itchiness, tenderness, or pain
Change in the surface of a mole – scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a bump or nodule
I hope this helps someone. And thanks again to JD and DK for alerting me to this issue!
FYI, this is almost exactly what my mole looked like:
DK37 wrote:I'm glad you caught the suspicious mole lpas!
Interesting - even though I have had both, I still haven't seen a clear connection in the literature between CRC and melanoma but some oncs may have seen it in their practices without publishing (or maybe I just missed the paper!).
Regardless, glad you caught it and I wholeheartedly agree to recommend everyone check for suspicious look moles - thanks for posting the warning signs! Like CRC, melanoma checks are pretty easy and mostly effective - survival stats all come down to how early you catch it. So check check check!
-DK
JDinNC wrote:So glad you went to your dermatologist to check that out. I'm learning not to take anything for granted anymore.
I've had basal cell cancer for over twenty years. Being of English heritage, I'm very freckled, it wasn't until I notice one of those freckles raising like a mosquito bite. It was perfectly round and light Amber in color so you can see it didn't fall into the normal melanoma category.
I did catch it early but my recurrances rate is still high.....melanoma metastasis is usually to the lungs so if a lung met shows up it will most likely have to be biopsy to see if it from colon or melanoma...
A couple a weeks ago, my dermatologist biopsied two areas and happy to report everything was ok. Butt he has me putting a fluorouracil cream on my face for precancer spots. My face is starting to look like I'm a burn victim. It's red and burns! Not fun!
Butt I would rather suffer though this then possibly losing half a nose or bad scaring from this cancer.
Jan
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