Just The Facts Maam

This post will catch up any new readers on what has happened to date. Also, it will allow anyone already familiar with the situation but still thirsting for more details to satisfy their desire!

On January 2, 2007, I met with a dermatologist about a bump that I had on the top of my head. I am not sure how long it was there, but I definitely remember it existing as of September 2006. I first thought it was acne, but when it didn’t go away and seemed to grow, I decided to see a doctor.

On January 4, 2007, I was diagnosed with melanoma on my scalp. I had one large mole on the scalp as well as several small moles (all ‘above ground’) in the surrounding areas. On January 26, 2007, I had surgery to remove the melanoma from my scalp. This involved taking skin from my right upper arm and grafting it onto my scalp where the melanoma was removed.

In addition to cutting out the melanoma, the surgeon removed a two centimeter ‘safe zone’ around all sides of the melanoma and also removed five ‘sentinal’ lymph nodes from my neck. The safe zone was then inspected to ensure that the cancer had not spread beyond the identified areas. The lymph nodes, part of the body’s lymphatic system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphatic_system), were reviewed for any signs that the cancer had begun to travel through my body. Cancer uses the lymphatic system to travel.

Unfortunately, both the safe zone test and the lymph node tests showed that the cancer had, in fact, spread. The cancer had moved into the safe zone, requiring another surgery. Also, four of the five nodes tested positive for cancer. On February 22, 2007, I had a second surgery to remove the additional cancer from my scalp and also to remove all the lymph nodes from the right side of my neck. This time, the results were better. No additional cancer was found on the scalp, and none of the lymph nodes taken from my neck tested positive for cancer.

Based on the results of these two surgeries, I was diagnosed with stage 3C melanoma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanoma#Staging). There are four stages of melanoma, with stage four being the worst.

Based on this diagnosis, it was determined that I was at a high risk for recurrence. The likelihood of recurrence within 5 years in my case is approximately 75% if no proactive treatment is undertaken. With a proactive treatment, the likelihood for recurrence decreases to about 50%-55%. Obviously, I opted to pursue proactive treatments.

Prior to beginning this treatment, I underwent a PET (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron_emission_tomography) and CT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CT_scan) scan to determine if the cancer had spread to other parts of the body. Going forward, these scans are an important tool in monitoring my progress in the fight against the melanoma. The scan taken on March 16, 2007 was clear, which was great.

On April 2, 2007, I started a preventative immunology (also called biological) treatment program using Interferon (http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=4009). The treatment program started with four weeks of daily intravenous injections. The treatments took place Monday through Friday in the doctor’s offices and typically lasted about three to four hours. After this initial four weeks, I began the second stage, which involves 11 months of self injections three times per week.

Unfortunately, after a routine visit to the oncologist & a subsequent neck biopsy, we learned that the cancer had returned very quickly to the area of the neck where my lymph nodes had been removed. This concerned the doctors. A PET/CT scan on May 30, 2007 confirmed that the cancer had returned, but also determined that it had not spread anywhere else as of yet, which was good news.

On June 26, 2007, I had another surgery which successfully removed the cancer. On August 11, 2007, I had another clean PET/CT scan. Starting on August 13, 2007, I began 33 sessions (just over six weeks) of radiation therapy on my neck in an attempt to further limit the chance of a recurrence.

The radiation treatment itself was quick and not difficult, but the cumulative side effects did add up. During the last two weeks of the program, the discomfort in my mouth and throat made it difficult to eat and I lost about 25 pounds, or 15% of my body weight.

Over the first few weeks of October, I was able to begin eating again and my taste buds slowly starting returning to normal, making the act of eating more enjoyable again.