Surgery for Stage 4 melanoma gives mom, cancer survivor hope and ‘years of my life’ back [Video]

Christina Armendariz had experienced significant complications from immunotherapy to treat her Stage 4 melanoma, to the point that treatment had to be stopped. Worried and looking for answers, she turned to experts at Mayo Clinic in Florida for help.

“As a mom, I was terrified. I had Stage 4 cancer, and I didn’t know if I was going to survive that. I wanted to be there for my daughter, more than anything,” Christina said.

Her care team – which included experts from Surgical Oncology, Medical Oncology and Neurology – came together to propose a bold solution.

“Dr. Lopez, Dr. Jakub and Dr. Dronca reviewed my case and immediately came up with a strategy. Their proposal was, ‘we think that this tumor can be surgically removed,’ and that is something I had never heard before,” Christina said.

Today, she’s officially in remission and looks forward to enjoying the “years of my life” that she now has back.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox, sign-up for free: https://mayocl.in/3e71zfi

Visit Mayo Clinic: hhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/appointments?mc_id=us&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=sm&utm_content=yny8eTw_s8c&utm_campaign=mayoclinic&geo=national&placementsite=enterprise&cauid=100504

Like Mayo Clinic on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayoclinic/
Follow Mayo Clinic on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayoclinic/
Follow Mayo Clinic on X, formerly Twitter: https://x.com/MayoClinic
Follow Mayo Clinic on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mayoclinic