Scottish grandad who thought he had verruca diagnosed with stage four cancer

Edinburgh Live

15-05-2025

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A retired Scottish doctor received a shock diagnosis when he was told what he thought was a verruca was actually skin cancer- which has now progressed to stage four.
Alastair Muir, 63, first noticed the skin coloured lesion on his heel in 2018 but thought it was a wart or verruca and went to have it frozen off.
The grandad-of-one said he had never even considered the lump could have been melanoma because it didn't present any of the normal symptoms, reports The Daily Record.
But, later that year, a dermatologist biopsied the lesion and revealed what Alastair thought was a harmless little wart, was in fact cancer. He went through numerous surgeries to remove the lesion and spent a total of three months on crutches.
He said: "I thought it was a verruca, and a colleague agreed and froze it off for me. I had never even considered that it was a potential melanoma.
"When the biopsy results came back everyone was surprised. I was very shocked. It really wasn't something that I had expected."
(Image: Alastair Muir / SWNS)
In 2023, things took a turn for the worse when Alastair began to have problems with his vision including night blindness.
Doctors originally suspected this was multiple sclerosis, but it turned out to be the rare condition melanoma associated retinopathy.
This is an autoimmune response where antiretinal antibodies attack the eyes, which can lead to permanent blindness.
Alastair added: "It is something that I had never heard of even as a doctor. Being told I could go blind was a bigger and more frightening experience than being diagnosed with cancer."
He then began on plasma exchange treatment, where blood is filtered to remove the antibodies, which is still being administered alongside steroids.
So far, the treatment has been working well, and Alastair says it is "almost as if I was back to normal."
Unfortunately, later that year, the cancer spread to his lymph nodes at the top of his leg and pelvis - so further surgeries were required to remove them.
The cancer continued to spread, and it was later revealed it was stage four - with Alastair being told he may only live for up to five years.
The dad-of-two said: "It was essentially a death sentence.
"It is fascinating going from being a doctor to a patient. You can never imagine what it is like to be told that you have got cancer which is spreading, and you might go blind.
"It gave everybody a bit of a fright, I think. It becomes all consuming. It is all you can think about but at the same time you don't want to talk about it.
"All of a sudden people drop out of your life. It can be very lonely and quite difficult."
(Image: Alastair Muir / SWNS)
But, things are starting to look up as Alastair has been started on immunotherapy, which studies suggest could double his chances of survival to ten years.
The treatment is not without risk, as it may undo the progress on his eyes and cause him to go blind, but he says that so far it is going really well.
Alastair also said he has had great support from his wife Moira, as well as his neighbours who often help drive him to appointments.
Now, the grandad is trying to give back to those who helped him by participating in Scottish cyclist Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4 charity cycle event on Sunday, September 7th in Glasgow.
He will be doing his cycle on a fixed bike in the centre of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, due to his impaired eyesight, for up to 20 minutes depending on his health.
The sponsored cycle will be raising money for the Melanoma-Me Foundation, which he says really supported him through tough times.
He also hopes to raise awareness for the strange ways in which skin cancer can present itself- encouraging others to go get checked.
So far, the GoFundMe page has raised £270.
Alastair added: "I think the presentation was quite unusual. Most people associate melanoma with pigmented moles that change or grow. It is important for people to know that it doesn't always present that way.
"I think people need to be aware that if you have anything on your skin that is different or changing then it is very worthwhile getting it checked out.
"When Chris Hoy spoke about his cancer, I was very shocked because he is the greatest ever Olympian- clearly a sporting hero. He has a lifestyle that you wouldn't associate with ill health of any kind. It touched most people's hearts. It was inspiring that he reached out to help others. I wanted to be able to do the same."
The event host and six-time gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy announced in February last year that he had been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer which is terminal.
The sports star says that his charity cycle is to change perceptions around stage four cancer, as well as raise money for vital charities.