Why don't other cancers scare me?

[Cali54321]

Hi all,

I have been happily doing better due to medication but still have my moments. Today unfortunately I had a setback and read some stories about young people with melanoma..I know BAD BAD BAD....

My concern is why don't other cancers scare me like melanoma does? Is it because I have risk factors? I don't know - I have no idea, anyone else dealt with a melanoma fear? My other fear is reading about people in late stages of the disease who say their mole looked fine, etc...I mean did it? Or is that a perception..and if it looked fine then how the heck can that be?

I mean I have a few moles, the last thing I want to worry about is harboring melanoma and not knowing it..I feel like everyone who gets melanoma and it's not caught early could have...I mean logically if you watch your skin and visit a dermatologist how could you be diagnosed with late stage disease...thats the scary part for me!

How can I deal with past mistakes..yes tanning beds and sunburns weren't smart but the damage is done and I don't want to dwell on that but I tend to quite often...

One more question anyone get advice from a dermatologist they can share? I'm especially curious why childhood sunburns matter more than adult sunburns...I've burnt more as an adult..but the risk factors can all be confusing since many say they don't know what causes melanoma, it's not cut and dry like other skin cancers...

Any advice? Reassurance?

[jaynjaylyn]

Yes I have the scare too. I'm a moley mess. I mean I have a lot of them. I'm going to the dermatologist next week so I guess i'll find out there. My mom had a cancerous one taken off her neck a while back so thats why im a little scared. I have gotten sun burnt tons in my life too. I mean, I live in California so who doesnt?

[Cali54321]

Hi jaynjaylyn

Yeah, I'm not moley at all but I've had sunburns and have fair skin and blond hair and blue eyes. No one in my family has had melanoma either. For me its' confusing as to what risk factors matter the most...and how much at risk I really am...

I definitely shouldn't care this much but I do...I just hope that being sun smart now will make a difference and it isn't too late :(

Thanks!

[bloxy]

Hi Cali, did you get my PM?

I do think that a lot of the 'normal' but 'deadly' mole thing is due to perception. The other thing to take into consideration is the source of the stories that you are reading. Are they from respected websites/publications?

The conflicting risk factors/symptoms are something that have caused me a lot of distress in the past. The way I look at it is, if they was something wrong it would make itself known, particularly with someone with HA who is very aware. As I have said before, regular (but not obsessive) checks would pick up anything untoward. I believe a lot of the 'not being discovered until it was too late' cases may be from people who didn't keep an eye on any changes. Also confusing, remember not all changes mean something sinister.

I also think I remember a statistic like, only 40% of melanomas arise from a pre-existing mole, hence why derms won't remove all moles unless they display any changes.

I think the most important thing is to try to look at any information rationally (easier said than done, I know). As you have said, the professionals still don't understand how this disease works fully yet.

On a positive note, in the news this week has been an article about a ground breaking treatment for melanoma which could lead the way for the treatment of other cancers...I like reading stories like these

[sophiethestar]

I've had a melanoma scare too. I have a mole on my arm that used to be huge and orangey brown in colour. Ever since I was badly sunburnt a few years ago its gotten smaller and flat and very pale pink (sometimes you can't see it) and sometimes it goes red if I'm too hot. It looks irregular in shape and half of it is paler than the other half. Those signs do seem like melanoma but every time I go to the Doctor I ask for it checked and she says it's fine. I've had it checked so many times I actually do believe it's not melanoma now. If you have more symptoms of one cancer over another, that's the cancer you're most likely to be scared of. Just keep getting checked and it will reassure you, I promise.