Can someone live from having skin cancer?

Question

My ex -wife has skin cancer and I had 2 kids with 11 yr old and a 8 yr old. Now I have told my 11 yr old son and told him that his mom can die but than she can live so far I haven't heard of any that has lived from it but is there any chance my ex-wife will live and I don't how im gonna tell my 8 yr old daughter. she knows her mom is sick but i don't know how im gonna tell her whats really wrong with her mom.

The reason im asking cause i know that Naomi Judd's brother brian had cancer and died from it.

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

A guy at work had skin cancer removed from his forehead ten years ago. All was well for 10 years until this fall when he felt a lump under the skin in his neck. It was the return of his melanoma. They removed that lump, he got another, did some treatments, and now it has spread to other organs and his prognosis is not too good.

I think you should not tell either of your kids that their mom could die at this point. You can always talk to them about that possiblitiy when it looks like she might actually die. They don't need to be that worried about her for an extended period of time. Let them be kids, she might beat it or at least put it off for ten years.

Answer 3

depends if it's just a cancerous growth or if it has metastasized. If it's just a growth, it can be removed by surgery and followed by chemo. My mother is a dermatologist, and I know for sure that you can live, if the cancer is diagnosed early enough. In many cases, a surgery is enough to remove the cancerous cells.
You should talk to your ex-wife and see how she's doing. Give her support, regardless of how bad your relationship may be- she's still the mother of your children. If the illness gets worse, you both need to tell your kids together.

Answer 4

Was your wife there when you told your son? I really think that it is important that she be there when the children are told. There are all types of skin cancer. Your wife probably knows what stage she is in and her survival rate. You need to remember that this could be nothing or if it is something it could take a while of her being sick befors she dies. Please do not burden your kids with "Mommy is going to die" A year in a childs life is a long time. Yes tell your kids their mom is sick, but that you guys are going to do everything possible along witht the doctors to help her be there a long time for them! You can not make this a death sentence in their eyes. They do not need to worry about their mom. They need to live as normal as possible.

Answer 5

u need to be positive for your children.... don't say things like she is gonna die. Try saying... in the past people have died from skin cancer but this day and age their is much better treatment and smarter Dr's out there with better tech and more likely your mom can and will beat this.

Skin cancer doesn't automatically mean your going to die dont scare them kids. Just say she will be sick for a while but eventually she will get better with meds.

Answer 6

Yes there are many people who have had skin cancer and lived through it. My friends husband has had it twice and he is fine at this time. Do some research and tell your daughter the truth.
I wish you the best!

Answer 7

It is called melanoma.

How is melanoma treated?
Methods of treatment Treatment choices by stage
What are the side effects of treatment for melanoma?
What about followup care after treatment for melanoma?
Are there support groups for people with melanoma?
What steps are involved in performing a skin self-exam?
Where can patients get more information about melanoma?
Melanoma GlossaryMelanoma Index
Methods of treatment

People with melanoma may have surgery, chemotherapy, biological therapy, or radiation therapy. Patients may have a combination of treatments.

At any stage of disease, people with melanoma may have treatment to control pain and other symptoms of the cancer, to relieve the side effects of therapy, and to ease emotional and practical problems. This kind of treatment is called symptom management, supportive care, or palliative care.

The doctor is the best person to describe the treatment choices and discuss the expected results.

A patient may want to talk to the doctor about taking part in a clinical trial, a research study of new treatment methods. The section on "The Promise of Cancer Research" has more information about clinical trials.

Surgery

Surgery is the usual treatment for melanoma. The surgeon removes the tumor and some normal tissue around it. This procedure reduces the chance that cancer cells will be left in the area. The width and depth of surrounding skin that needs to be removed depends on the thickness of the melanoma and how deeply it has invaded the skin:

The doctor may be able to completely remove a very thin melanoma during the biopsy. Further surgery may not be necessary.


If the melanoma was not completely removed during the biopsy, the doctor takes out the remaining tumor. In most cases, additional surgery is performed to remove normal-looking tissue around the tumor (called the margin) to make sure all melanoma cells are removed. This is often necessary, even for thin melanomas. If the melanoma is thick, the doctor may need to remove a larger margin of tissue.

If a large area of tissue is removed, the surgeon may do a skin graft. For this procedure, the doctor uses skin from another part of the body to replace the skin that was removed.

Lymph nodes near the tumor may be removed because cancer can spread through the lymphatic system. If the pathologist finds cancer cells in the lymph nodes, it may mean that the disease has also spread to other parts of the body. Two procedures are used to remove the lymph nodes:

Sentinel lymph node biopsy—The sentinel lymph node biopsy is done after the biopsy of the melanoma but before the wider excision of the tumor. A radioactive substance is injected near the melanoma. The surgeon follows the movement of the substance on a computer screen. The first lymph node(s) to take up the substance is called the sentinel lymph node(s). (The imaging study is called lymphoscintigraphy. The procedure to identify the sentinel node(s) is called sentinel lymph node mapping.) The surgeon removes the sentinel node(s) to check for cancer cells.

If a sentinel node contains cancer cells, the surgeon removes the rest of the lymph nodes in the area. However, if a sentinel node does not contain cancer cells, no additional lymph nodes are removed.


Lymph node dissection—The surgeon removes all the lymph nodes in the area of the melanoma.

Therapy may be given after surgery to kill cancer cells that remain in the body. This treatment is called adjuvant therapy. The patient may receive biological therapy.

Surgery is generally not effective in controlling melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body. In such cases, doctors may use other methods of treatment, such as chemotherapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of these methods.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, the use of drugs to kill cancer cells, is sometimes used to treat melanoma. The drugs are usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Usually a patient has chemotherapy as an outpatient (at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home). However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be needed.

People with melanoma may receive chemotherapy in one of the following ways:

By mouth or injection—Either way, the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body.


Isolated limb perfusion (also called isolated arterial perfusion)—For melanoma on an arm or leg, chemotherapy drugs are put directly into the bloodstream of that limb. The flow of blood to and from the limb is stopped for a while. This allows most of the drug to reach the tumor directly. Most of the chemotherapy remains in that limb.

The drugs may be heated before injection. This type of chemotherapy is called hyperthermic perfusion.

Biological therapy

Biological therapy (also called immunotherapy) is a form of treatment that uses the body's immune system, either directly or indirectly, to fight cancer or to reduce side effects caused by some cancer treatments. Biological therapy for melanoma uses substances called cytokines. The body normally produces cytokines in small amounts in response to infections and other diseases. Using modern laboratory techniques, scientists can produce cytokines in large amounts. In some cases, biological therapy given after surgery can help prevent melanoma from recurring. For patients with metastatic melanoma or a high risk of recurrence, interferon alpha and interleukin-2 (also called IL-2 or aldesleukin) may be recommended after surgery.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. A large machine directs radiation at the body. The patient usually has treatment at a hospital or clinic, five days a week for several weeks. Radiation therapy may be used to help control melanoma that has spread to the brain, bones, and other parts of the body. It may shrink the tumor and relieve symptoms.



Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It begins in cells in the skin called melanocytes. To understand melanoma, it is helpful to know about the skin and about melanocytes—what they do, how they grow, and what happens when they become cancerous.

The skin

The skin is the body's largest organ. It protects against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection. It helps regulate body temperature, stores water and fat, and produces vitamin D.

The skin has two main layers: the outer epidermis and the inner dermis.

The epidermis is mostly made up of flat, scalelike cells called squamous cells. Round cells called basal cells lie under the squamous cells in the epidermis. The lower part of the epidermis also contains melanocytes.


The dermis contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, hair follicles, and glands. Some of these glands produce sweat, which help regulate body temperature. Other glands produce sebum, an oily substance that helps keep the skin from drying out. Sweat and sebum reach the skin's surface through tiny openings called pores.

Melanocytes and moles

Melanocytes produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its natural color. When skin is exposed to the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment, causing the skin to tan, or darken.

Sometimes, clusters of melanocytes and surrounding tissue form noncancerous growths called moles. (Doctors also call a mole a nevus; the plural is nevi.) Moles are very common. Most people have between 10 and 40 moles. Moles may be pink, tan, brown, or a color that is very close to the person's normal skin tone. People who have dark skin tend to have dark moles. Moles can be flat or raised. They are usually round or oval and smaller than a pencil eraser. They may be present at birth or may appear later on—usually before age 40. They tend to fade away in older people. When moles are surgically removed, they normally do not return.


I hope This helps you understand it a bit more.
Happy New Year!

Answer 8

Yes, it's possible. Shonda Schilling survived melanoma.
I agree that you should be honest with them. Don't tell them she's definitely going to get all better. They need to know that what she has is very serious, but that some people do survive. Good luck and I'll pray for your ex to recover.

Answer 9

I would strongly suggest leaving the details out of it because the kids are not at an age where they need to know them. You can tell them that their Mom has a disease which takes a long time to go away. Sometimes people can't survive it but you are confident if you all help her she will feel better sooner. Focusing their energy on helping her is the most productive thing to do. Some people get 1 little spot, have it removed & no problems again so more details are needed to give you more accurate info. check this site & see if it helps you more. http://www.webmd.com/
Hope this helps.

Answer 10

Her chance of survival depends on a LOT of factors...

Type of cancer,
Progression,
Has it mitasticized yet,
Has is spread to other systems?

OVER ALL, using a very broad definition, skin cancer is a highly survivable form...

If I had to choose I would much rather get skin cancer then say, a brain tumor!

If it was caugh small then her chances are VERY good...

But if it has spread or if it is melanoma then her chances go down...

I really hate to be so blunt but it is the facts...

I know a couple of people in my extended family that have survived skin cancer...

I know a BUNCH of people (Aquantiences, not family) in Arizona that have survived it... (Go fig, Arizona has a High Rate of S.C.!)

I wish your whole family the best of luck in this trying time but this is such a complicated subject with so very many variables that it can't really be answered correctly here on Yahoo! A.

This is really a topic you need to discuss with a doctor...

If you have health insurance I beg of you to get your kids into therapy RIGHT NOW no matter what your x's survivle chances are... This is a truamatic time for everyone and your kids will come out much better if you get them to see a doc TODAY if possible!!

As for your 8 year old... She may seem extreamly young but she comprehends much more then you think she does... She can handle the news and keeping her in the dark will cause more trauma should things go wrong then if you just tell her a slightly sugar-coated version of the truth RIGHT NOW.

Hell man... I feel so bad for all of you!

I have lost a lot of people in my life to cancer, family and friends, so I know what you are feeling...

*HUG*

Everyone here on Yahoo! as well as every survivor on earth is here for you so don't hesitate to post.

A good website I have found is called: http://www.allaboutcounceling.com

Sign up (Free) then check out the discussion boards...

There are people there 24/7 to help support you in your bad times and celibrate with you in your good...

These people have actually saved my life and I HIGHLY recomend checking them out.

Good luck my friend!