Hi,

I'm sorry that you are going through all this. I have been a Stage 3 patient for 12 years so I can try and answer your questions.

I'm assuming that you have been diagnosed Stage 2 and that you are currently awaiting a Wide Local Excision and Sentinel Lymph Node biopsy? If so, I'm afraid to say that it is possible to be Stage 3 without a swollen lymph node and without any symptoms. Melanoma can spread to the nearest node (s) and can be picked up by the SLNB when it is a very small (micro) amount. If a node is swollen due to melanoma it means there is a macro (large) amount of melanoma cells in the node. However, it's better to find a micro amount in a SLNB than a macro amount because a lump appears. It means there is less chance the macro amount of cells can break through and spread onwards. This happened to me - I found a lump in my groin (13 years after a Stage 1 diagnosis). A fine needle aspiration biopsy found it was melanoma so I had a full clearance of nodes from my groin and pelvis. A micro amount of melanoma was also found in a pelvic node because a cell from the macro amount in the groin node had broken through and travelled into my pelvis.

All that being said, these days treatment has improved enormously. If melanoma is found in a node during a SLNB, they now give adjuvant drug treatment which is showing great results. They may also remove more nodes but they often let the drug treatment work to deal with the nodes and try and stop the melanoma travel any further. 

I hope this has explained what can happen but please don't think that a Stage 2 diagnosis immediately means it will have already spread to the nodes. Many Stage 2 patients have a clear SLNB and never have any further problems. I will send you a friend request so that we can chat by private message if you feel it would be helpful. Please also contact your specialist nurse if you need any question answering, that's what they are there for.

I hope you aren't waiting too long for the procedures and results and that they bring good news.

Angie

Hi Angie

Thank you so very much for this, I've been getting so lost with searching on the internet and this is the clearest and most honest answer I have found and is actually very reassuring.  You are right about where we are in the journey and I will try and take positivity from there being no lumps or swelling in the nodes and hopefully there will be no macros or better still no presence.

Thank you again, I am so appreciative. Take care, Verity x