Chemo and Melanoma Risk?

Ever since my melanoma diagnosis last week, I've been worrying at the news like a puppy with a dropped sock.

I have known since my teens that I have the type of skin (pale, freckled, plus light eyes and hair) that can develop skin cancer, and I've been moderately careful about sunburns and sunscreen and all the rest, but I did live in Hawaii for four years in my 20s and got plenty of sun on a daily basis during those years.

I've had my moles checked, and have kept an eye on them myself. But somehow in the back of my mind I felt that lightning wouldn't strike twice, that I would not get a second cancer on top of my metastatic breast cancer. Surprise.

Lightning can strike twice, and it did.

As part of my worrying at this diagnosis like a puppy, I did some Web searches, and found the Skin Cancer Foundation's Web site. I read through the list of risk factors for melanoma (I have all of them except for a relative with the disease), and found this paragraph:

"Weakened Immune System: Compromised immune systems as the result of chemotherapy, excessive sun exposure, and diseases such as HIV or lymphoma can increase your risk of melanoma."

Then I was MAD, because no one had ever told me this during the past eight-plus years I've been living with breast cancer, on a first-name basis with chemo during most of that time. Being me, I was getting a head of steam up, working on a press release to send out warning cancer patients of the risk and suggesting skin checks, but--also being me--I had e-mailed my oncologist-at-a-distance, Dr. Robert Livingston, in Tucson, asking him about this.

After all, Dr. Livingston had been my oncologist here in Seattle for eight years, and I couldn't really believe that if this were true he wouldn't have told me about it, being the careful doctor he is.

This is the reply he send me this morning:

"I know of no scientific evidence that chemotherapy increases the risk of melanoma. Certainly it is nothing like the risk of sun exposure. From my own experience giving people chemotherapy for 30 years, I do not think there is a relationship."

As far as I'm concerned, that's the last word. I've e-mailed the PR people at the Skin Cancer Foundation asking if they have any research that supports the statement on their Web site, but I'm not holding my breath.

Note to self: Buy sunscreen.

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.

Comments

[Lisa]

I am so sorry Jeanne. It sounds like you caught it early and you have served as a good reminder to me to make taht appointment to have my skin checked. I am sending you internet best wishes.

[jeanne]

Lisa--thanks. I think things are going to be OK. I'll know more after my appt on Thursday, but because the lesion was so thin, I think my chances are good that it hasn't spread.

So the only thing, once I have the wider surgery, is just careful followup, and lots of sunscreen. As you can see by my photo, I already have a sun hat!

Jeanne

[Jacquie]

I had a melanoma tumor removed a year and a half ago. My dermatologist wanted to smooth out my huge scar nine months later...he injected it with cortisone. A month later I found a lump under my arm. By the time of the operation, it had grown to the size of a baseball (3 weeks). My oncologist has now had 4 patients present like this since. I had a lymph node dissection and lost 2 major nerves in my arm, radiation and now a year of Interferon. I truly believe that it is just the "luck" of one doctor seeing 5 patients with the same thing that might lead to avoiding this. Truth is, melanoma is the Rodney Dangerfield of cancer - no respect. My dad and uncle died 25 years ago from this and so little has changed...we need to get more awareness around this killer.