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Anyone had recurring melanoma?

Posted by birdman518 @birdman518, Apr 9, 2022

Last May I had a melanoma removed from my head. Besides the excision I had SLN biopsies done and fortunately nothing was found. So I was basically declared "clear", and told I only should have quarterly checkups done by me regular dermatologist.
A few months ago I noticed what appeared to be a small scab on my excision area. I assumed (being bald) that I just might have hit my head somehow, but I did not remember doing it. I did take it seriously enough that I saw my dermatologist and he told me it was in fact just a scab.
Now, however, it appears to have recurred in the exact same place, and again I am sure I have not hit my head. This time I ran it by my surgeon at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and his office asked me to come in, which I will be doing next week.
In the meantime I found an article (pretty technical) online which appears to me to be saying that melanoma can recur this way, including with negative SLN results.
Has this happened to anyone here?
Here is the article:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/508912

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Nov 19, 2022
In reply to @cbruce43 "My husband had cancerous bladder removed 20+yr ago. Now he is having recurring squamous cell carcinoma..." + (show)
@cbruce43

My husband had cancerous bladder removed 20+yr ago. Now he is having recurring squamous cell carcinoma
spots on left arm and hand. Back of His hand has had 5 surgeries so far in about 5 mos. with another due next week. What can be done for this?

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Welcome @cbruce43, when the cancer returns, treatment options depend on where the cancer is and what treatments were done before. If the cancer comes back just on the skin, options might include surgery, radiation therapy, or other types of local treatments. If the cancer comes back in another part of the body, other treatments such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy might be needed.

Is his cancer limited to his skin, particularly on hiw arms and hands? How did the most recent surgery go? Did you have a chance to discuss with the surgeon what can be done for your husband's recurrences?

REPLY
ozgal | @ozgal | Oct 30 9:10pm
In reply to @callalloo "I'm making a plea for people to check their sunscreens for the expiration date. Some sunscreens,..." + (show)
@callalloo

I'm making a plea for people to check their sunscreens for the expiration date. Some sunscreens, especially the chemical ones (oxybenzones, etc.) have a short shelf life. Especially in hot climates. The rule of thumb for chemical sunscreen usage in Florida is to toss anything that's been opened more than 12-16 months earlier. Better yet, ditch the chemical ones in favor of the old barrier one (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) that stay on the skin's surface and aren't killing underwater reefs as far as we know.

This public service is brought to us by my triply-board-certified-in-skin-cancer dermatologist who's vehement about using adequate sun protection. And supported by a chemist friend in the cosmetics industry.

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As a multiple Melanoma candidate my surgeon pointed me to only slap on sunscreen with titanium dioxide…

At the time, 1996 we did not have any factor higher than 30, in Australia.

Now Australian sunscreen manufacturers appear to have completely removed the Titanium Dioxide!

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