Can melanoma 'resurface' in the stomach?

Yes it can recur in the stomach. Melanoma is a very tricky and difficult disease and can recur anywhere at any time. I had a case last year of a man who had melanoma over 30 years ago and last year a huge mass was found on his left kidney and thought to be kidney cancer based on biopsy. The mass was so big the surgeon was unable to get it out and had to call another surgeon from the operating room for help. It was a 24cm metastatic melanoma tumor that totally incased the kidney, yet the kidney itself was not involved.

If your mom was seen at a teaching hospital they may still have her medical records, but most adult records are not kept more than 10 years. The best way to know what she actually died from is to get a copy of her death certificate as the cause of death is listed and these records are kept forever. If you still have questions once you receive it call the doctor who signed it. Even though he or she will probably not have her records anymore they may be able to remember details about her disease.

Melanoma Stomach Cancer

If there was secondary cancers due to the melanoma there would have been cancers thought the body not just the stomach. It would have appeared in the liver first. Generally stomach cancer is a associated with heliobactor priori bacteria (WHO opinion). The probability is u have the bacteria too. There is a simple blood test to check this out. If u do then your mother died of stomach cancer.

Melanoma is a cancer, Most cancers can metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. Melanomas can and do sometimes spread.

When a person is diagnosed with cancer a biopsy is generally taken from the tumor and identified in that manner. If your mother had a biopsy taken of the tumor and it had malignant stomach cells in the tumor . . than that is stomach cancer. If the tumor biopsy had malignant skin cells in the tumor . .than that would be melanoma. You need only find out what the diagnosis was based on the biopsy from the tumor ..that will tell you what type of cancer she had. Your father should know . .as he probably was told the biopsy results. The mole that was removed . . was it biopsied? There should be a record of whether it was malignant or not. Not all moles are malignant and not all malignant moles are melanoma. There are different kinds and types of skin cancer . .which is why there is a biopsy done to identify the type.

Diagnosis of cancer type is based on a biopsy or pathology of the tumor cells . . that is where cancer gets its different names . . lung cancer tumors have lung cells; breast cancer tumors have breast cells; skin cancer tumors have skin cells; colon cancer tumors have colon cells .. etc.

That is how they know what 'type' of cancer someone has.

Once melanoma spreads past the lymph nodes, it can attach to any organ in the body. Of course in your mother's situation it may not have been related to melanoma. The medical community has no understanding of when and how melanoma spreads to other organs.

As a direct descendant, you can have her medical records copied and the copies sent to you. Since many medical conditions have a genetic component, you have a right to those records so that your own physician can monitor your health more accurately as well as that of your children.

Your mother may well not have died due to a metastasis of melanoma - but it's also possible she did. The only way to know is to get those records.

Joy, if you are his sister, then I would expect that he would have no problem in talking with you about this, even the gory death details. Part of having cancer is having that specter of death knocking on the door of your mind 24/7. When I was newly diagnosed and through over half of my treatment I could not shake the idea of dying and coming to terms with end of life thinking--I was only 28, fortunately I had my family and a psychologist to openly talk with. Being able to talk with someone about it is enormously relieving and I can guarantee you that he needs to talk with you about this. It will do both of you a world of good. Typically most oncologists prescribe psychiatric counseling to their cancer patients for this very reason. Please talk with him, ask him directly and bluntly--just get everything out on the table, you clearly need this right now. It will unload so much stress and burden from both of you, and may be what he needs right now so he can focus on feeling better. Best Wishes

Well, it is possible that a melanoma could metastasize to the stomach. But I believe it is not common by any means.

yes it can spread fast