### instruction:
If you are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description.

### input:
MY 29 yr old son went to the emergency room 1month ago with a quarter size lump in his neck below the ear. they tried to drain it because they originally thought it was a cyst or an infected hair follicle. With in 4 days the lump was the size of a hockey puck and extremely painful. They did surgery to remove it, but didn t take it out 2x s. Once before a mri and petscan, and once after, but both times they just sewed him back up and said if they removed it, they would be doing more damage than the tumor. He says he has a non-cell malignancy. He told me today it is stage 4 melanoma. He is in his 4th week of daily radiation, but he said that he has been told he is inoperable, uncurable, but manageable. He originally told me that the tumor was solo, and not attached to anything when he had an ultrasound, but 4 days later when they did the 2nd surgery it has wrapped itself around things in his neck. What kind of cancer does this? Is he terminal?He lives in another state and I think he is keeping information from me to spare my feelings?

### output:

Hi, Thanks for writing in. It appears that your son has a melanoma that might have spread to neck lymph nodes. This is a possibility and has to be confirmed by doing a biopsy. What happens is that lymph nodes are found in many regions of the body and are small unless they are stimulated by disease process. When there is a disease in a person then the lymph nodes of a particular region get enlarged and this is a reaction by the immune mechanism. Since your son has been told that he has a melanoma, it has probably involved the neck lymph nodes. The lymph nodes in the neck are close to the carotid artery and internal jugular vein, and it is possible that the lymph nodes have wrapped around these. Doing a surgery in this condition is not possible and radiation usually works. It is suggested that you spend some time with your son by going over to his place and know more about the treatment he should be taking for his condition. Please do not worry.