I am sorry to hear of your husband's new melanoma diagnosis. I would strongly urge you to get a second opinion but from a melanoma specialist. Oncologists who deal with other cancers may be excellent docs but often do not know that much about melanoma. It is an evil and unpredictable disease that needs to be taken very seriously. Depending on the depth of your husband's melanoma and whether ulceration was present, he may need to have a sentinel node biopsy (SNB), which must be done prior to the wide local excision (WLE). Once the tissue has been disturbed by the excision, the SNB will not reliable. If his lesion was shallow, then it is important that the follow-up WLE removes sufficient tissue around it. How was his original biopsy done ... excision, punch, shave? What was his Breslow depth? Clark's level? Was there ulceration? Is a surgeon going to be doing his WLE? Sorry to alarm you with all these questions but my 29-year-old daughter died of melanoma so I am only too aware of what this nasty cancer is capable of. Please do not take it lightly.