My husband had a biopsy of a mold done about a month and a half ago. He had his follow-up today and she told him it was precancerous. She then removed a larger/deeper portion of the skin. I know that this means that it had a higher chance of becoming cancer, and I was just like "oh thank god she caught it". But then my mom (i don't know why i tell her anything) was like, "oh my god, does he have to have chemo, that's so serious!" and she's a nurse! she totally freaked me out.
has anyone had a precancerous mole before? what happens after the diagnosis, anything? should we go for a second opinion...I don't want to find out in 2 months that we should have done more and that he's dying....
any input would be great! :)
2007-12-20 10:14:46 · 7 answers · asked by AddieMom13 5 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
er, mold..ha. ya, I meant mole. total typo. he doesn't have mold on him :) lol
2007-12-20 10:35:24 · update #1
his pcp noticed it, and then the NP at the derm's office did the actual biopsy.
2007-12-20 10:36:25 · update #2
It's understandable to be concerned, but it's probably going to be just fine.
From what you've said he had a precancerous mole (likely a nevus) on his biopsy. It is standard to remove a nevus completely so that none of the precancerous mole is left behind. You mom may have freaked because these can turn into melanoma which can be curable at early stages but very tough to treat once it's deeper or has spread. What you've described sounds very promising but you need to make sure you know what it is.
Talk to you husband's doctor, ask what the biopsy showed in detail and ask what the followup excision showed. If you get a second opinion, I would go to a general surgeon or dermatologist to understand more about how worried to be.
Don't worry too much, and I hope you and your husband get good news back.
2007-12-20 12:17:40 · answer #1 · answered by subatomicdoc 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You know? I find myself asking myself that very same question.... Why do I tell my mom anything? I learned that when it comes to me and my husband, to just keep a lid on it.
Anyway, no, it is not serious yet. Wait until the tests are finished. There are a zillion new technologies that don't involved chemo. Such as blasting it with a laser (sound so sci-fi doesn't it?).
No point in freaking out until you know what you are dealing with.
Doctors have a way of freaking you out. They can't, by law, tell you that it's no big deal until they are sure what they are dealing with. I have experience with this, by the way. My doctor told me that my thyroid is dead, I have no metabolism and that I would die from obesity, diabetes, etc, etc if I didn't get treated right away. Dude, no big deal. All I have ot do is take a tiny pill every morning, get monitored four times a year and I am perfectly healthy! Geez! He made me think I was going to have to get major brain surgery or something!
2007-12-20 18:20:27 · answer #2 · answered by Yup Yup Yuppers 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First was it done by a dermatologist? Secondly, my wife had Melanoma, the really bad skin cancer. The doctor went deep and got all of it. It was on her wrist and though there is a nice scar, no skin grafting was needed or chemo. They did do a bone scan and checked her lymph nodes as well. It was very scarey. It sounds as if you caught it very early. So early they called it pre cancerous, not melonoma. Let me tell you though you husband needs to change his life style. Hats, sleeves are going to be a must. Be smart and he will most likely be fine.
2007-12-20 18:25:28 · answer #3 · answered by Proverbs twenty7 7teen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh my gosh, I get these all the time! It will be okay I am pretty sure. The key is early detection, he will just have to be checked a lot. Mom's are crazy, don't let her get to you! He will just have to go every 6 months or so to be checked and they will have to do biopsies on his moles more than most people. Skin cancer is the most deadly because people do not pay attention to it like they should.
I am sending you positive thoughts, don't worry!
2007-12-20 18:19:28 · answer #4 · answered by Mrs. Mad Maddy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi, my sister in law had a precancerous mole on her shoulder. The dr just cut it out and a bit of the surrounding skin. She is fine. Don't worry, you husband won't need chemo.
2007-12-20 20:16:39 · answer #5 · answered by Stuck in the middle of nowhere 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When they take out the area around it they are taking out past any bad areas to the clean tissue. All of it should be gone. I have had this with a mole before.
2007-12-20 18:24:07 · answer #6 · answered by Im ok now 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's pre-cancer so everything is fine. I have had this before in a few areas. Even if it became cancerous they would just cut it out. Don't worry about it.
2007-12-20 18:28:30 · answer #7 · answered by Irish 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋