Help and advice please

right so this is going ot be along post but i just need some advice maybe some one else has been through the same thing so my dad had skin cancer a long time ago and he got it removed and was all clear this was about ten years ago however hes had alot of problems with his bladder for the past coupple of years ..anyways he had a MRI scan and theve found two lumps one in the groin area and one near the testicals (second one he could see and feel) and they are sure from the scan that they  are cancerous But yesterday theve done a biopsy ?.. they dint aay the name of the cancer they just said it was caused by his skin cancer that he had all them years ago ..he has the results in the next seven days and they wouldnt say much apart from they are cancerous  my heads a right mess and im just trying to be strong for my dad ive looked online and it seeems to say ethire lymph glad cancer or metastatic melanoma .(i know the internet is almost never right but i had to look into it) i know its the results that are going to give us the answer but im just wondering if anyone else has been through the same and wich type it was and what was the out come ..thanks so much x

  • Hi Jane,

    I'm sorry your dad is going through this & you have this worry. The swollen lymph nodes they saw on the MRI will have to be removed for biopsy as they won't know if it's due to cancer until they are removed. If it is cancer, the shape of the cells will tell them what type of cancer it is. It could be a new primary cancer or it could be the melanoma that has spread (metastisised) to the lymph nodes. Unfortunately melanoma cancer cells can sit in the body for years and then present themselves in the nodes. I had a Stage 1 melanoma on my shin in 1996 and then in 2009 it popped up in my groin & pelvic nodes. The important thing to know is that, should it be melanoma, medical advances have been made, and continue to be made, that means patients can live with the disease for many years & it's not as bleak as it was a few years ago. 

    Don't google too much - it's counter productive. Just stick to this website & Macmillan if you want more information. Until your dad has his nodes removed no one knows what it is & what the next steps are, so try not to worry too much & just be there for him. He may have been given the contact details of a SCN (Skin Cancer Nurse). If he has, give them a ring & they will be happy to explain what the position is. If I can help with any more information just let me know.

    Good luck & best wishes

    Angie

  • Thats the strange thing as even before the biospy they have said they are certain it is cancer ?and that it is melanoma even before the biospy i spoke to the doctor who was doing it and they said they was certain they dint remove the nodes as they was unable to do so they just took samples of them and another area but after the biospy the doctor who did it has asked for a full pet or ct scan i think was called.the sooner we get all the results and a treatment plan the better ..just worrying how they keep mentioning the old cancer .vps.i hope youre okay and fully clear of the cancer xx

  • Also sorry about the poor grammar my typing skills aint up to scratch on this phone sorry lol xx