Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, died from melanoma. What experts want you to know about the 'incredibly deadly' disease

Yahoo

4 days ago

In Canada, more than 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year.
Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock's cause of death has been revealed. A statement from the coroner where Blackstock lived in Montana confirmed that the 48-year-old former talent manager, "passed away peacefully at his home in Butte, Montana on August 7th under hospice care surrounded by his family." According to People, coroner Dan Hollis said Blackstock's "manner of death" was natural causes following his three-year battle with melanoma.
The prospect of getting skin cancer may seem unlikely or altogether not that bad to sun worshippers and those who love getting a tan. But to those who've been diagnosed with the disease, including reality TV star Teddi Mellencamp, the truth is far more devastating. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum has been sharing her stage 4 melanoma journey with the public, explaining that her cancer spread to her brain and lungs, and expressing the challenges she's faced when it comes to the treatment process.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle.
'The highs and lows of treatment for stage 4 brain and lung tumours are pretty extreme. Please go get your yearly checks,' the 43-year-old daughter of singer John Mellencamp wrote in an Instagram post.
Like Blackstock and Mellencamp, Kathy Barnard has been through the tumultuous experience that is malignant melanoma. Barnard was first diagnosed in 2003 when she was 47 years old. In the past 22 years, she's faced the disease four separate times, including when the cancer spread to her lungs. ' I'm a huge outdoor athlete, and I'm very Scottish and pale skinned, and I just love the sun,' Barnard told Yahoo Canada in a previous interview.
She grew up at a time when there was very little knowledge or information about the dangers of the sun, so she rarely took precautions to protect herself from its harmful rays prior to being diagnosed. 'I'm from the generation where everybody thought that you should have a base tan before you went on a holiday. I was the generation where they had tanning beds in gyms, and I would go to the gym all the time and use them.'
Barnard is about to turn 70 and is currently cancer-free. She noted she's incredibly grateful for the innovative treatments that have helped her make it this far, many of which didn't yet exist when she was first diagnosed.
'I have been — touch wood — so unbelievably lucky,' she said. But she knows many skin cancer patients who haven't been so fortunate.
That's why Barnard has made it her mission to educate the public, particularly young people, about the importance of sun safety. She founded the Save Your Skin Foundation, an organization offering support to skin cancer patients while advocating for prevention and education on the danger UV rays offer.
The very real dangers of skin cancer
'It's a common misconception that skin cancer is a 'better' cancer to get,' Dr. Geeta Yadav, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of FACET Dermatology, told Yahoo Canada earlier this year. In reality, while some skin cancers have better survival rates than others, she noted melanoma in particular can be an 'incredibly deadly disease.'
Melanoma can spread, or metastasize, in three different ways. Yadav explained that includes through tissue, beyond its original borders; through the lymphatic system, which can allow the melanoma to travel to lymph nodes or other parts of the body; and/or through the bloodstream, which allows the cancer to travel to other organs.
In Mellencamp's case, she sought medical care after experiencing debilitating headaches. Her care team found tumours in her brain and lungs, meaning that her melanoma had metastasized via the bloodstream. This was also true in Barnard's case.
When melanoma spreads, it tends to spread to non-regional lymph nodes, meaning lymph nodes not in the area of the original tumour, Yadav explained. This includes the lungs, the liver, the brain and the bones.
Melanoma spreading to the lungs and brain are the two most common causes of metastatic melanoma-related deaths, she added. Metastatic melanoma is said to have a five-year survival rate of under 30 per cent, while the five-year survival rate of early melanoma can be as high as 99 per cent.
Rates are on the rise
Although we now have much more information about the importance of sun protection, skin cancer rates are on the rise. According to the Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation, one in every three cancers diagnosed worldwide is skin cancer.
In Canada, more than 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year. Additionally, more than 5,000 of those are melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Melanoma is also one of the most common cancer types found in young adults aged 15 to 29 and 30 to 49, as well as the seventh-most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada.
'It used to be the cancer of old people. That's not the case anymore,' Barnard said. ' It's the fastest-growing cancer in our young people.'
Protect your skin and get checked
Smart sun habits, including daily application of sunscreen, are key to reducing your risk of skin cancer. However, Yadav noted so many people choose to skip SPF and soak up unprotected UV.
'It never fails to surprise me how cavalier people are about their skin health, especially considering how much effort many people put into addressing cosmetic skin concerns,' Yadav said. 'Remember, unprotected UV exposure can cause premature skin aging as well as cancer, and it's far harder to get rid of sunspots than it is to prevent them.'
Sun protection goes beyond just SPF, which must be applied every two hours. It also includes UV clothing, trying to stay out of the sun during peak hours, wearing a hat and making sure you wear sunglasses. The latter is particularly important, as Barnard said there's been an increase in ocular melanoma over the past five years, including in younger demographics.
Equally important as skin protection is early detection, especially since survival rates drastically increase if melanoma is found before it spreads, Yadav added: 'Follow the ABCDE rules — look for asymmetry, irregular borders of a mole, variations in colour within just one spot, diameter larger than six millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser) and evolving sizes, shapes or colours. If you see something that looks suspicious, make an appointment with your doctor right away."