Latest news with #melanoma
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The 'freckle' that ended up being terminal skin cancer...doctors say I could have months to live
A mother has been given a terminal skin cancer diagnosis after she was dismissed by doctors who said she had a holiday bug. As a precaution, Katie Cooper, 32, from Greater Manchester, had a small freckle removed from a patch of skin behind her ear around seven years ago. But around four years later, she noticed a small lump had formed in the same place. Subsequent tests revealed it was melanoma—the deadliest type of skin cancer that is on the rise in young Britons. The prognosis for the condition is good, with most patients cured, providing the disease is caught early. Doctors immediately removed Ms Cooper's growth and told her she was cancer free. But the ordeal didn't end there for the civil servant and her family. In March this year, nearly seven years after she noticed the freckle, she developed bizarre aches and pains. But having just returned from a trip to Disneyland Paris, doctors assured her it was most likely 'just a virus' she'd picked up on her travels. Yet it wasn't long until the mother-of-one found herself bedbound and in 'agony'. After five weeks, she didn't get any better and her pain persisted, so doctors performed a scan. They discovered the melanoma had not only returned but aggressively spread throughout her body—reaching her bones, spine, liver, lungs, abdominal wall, and ovaries. 'It's terrifying. We had no idea and we just thought I was unwell. It blindsided us,' said Ms Cooper. 'Finding out subsequently that it was in my other organs as well, I knew it would be quite difficult from here on out.' At stages three and four—when the disease has spread to nearby tissues and organs or bones—the survival rate is as low as 66 and 27 per cent, respectively. She is now undergoing grueling radiotherapy and immunotherapy treatment to manage her incurable condition. Ms Cooper's friend, Abi Smith, said they have been told the prognosis could be as little as a few months if the treatment fails to work. 'If it does work, they may be able to get to a 60 per cent chance of 10 years,' she said. 'She's accepted the cancer, but when she thinks about her three-year-old daughter, Aurora, she gets really upset. 'She's hoping she'll be there for all her milestones.' The devastated mother has encouraged others to 'advocate for themselves' and to get checked if they're unsure about something. She added: 'You know your body best. If you feel like something is not right, then you are within your rights to go and ask and don't be afraid to keep pushing to get those answers.' A GoFundMe has been launched to support the civil servant with medical and living expenses. It takes a scarily low number of sunburns—only five—to make you vulnerable to the condition that kills more than 2,000 people in the UK every year. One in 35 men and one in 41 women in the UK will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in their lifetime. The most harmful type of sunrays are UVB which hit the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) and cause the most sunburn, as well as UVA rays which penetrate much deeper and contribute to ageing. Both are ultraviolet, which means they cause skin cancer. A worrying 90 per cent of skin cancer cases in the UK are a direct result of sunburn and using sunbeds, according to Cancer Research.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Shockingly little sunbed use that led to 23-year-old's skin cancer that spread to her lungs and neck
A woman with late stage skin cancer has warned of the catastrophic dangers of pursuing a 'base tan' before a summer holiday—after just a handful of sunbed sessions left her with incurable disease. Lily Murphy, 30, from Watford, used sunbeds for the first time in her early twenties, to 'prepare' her skin for an upcoming trip to South East Asia. She used the tanning devices—known to increase cancer risk by up to 75 per cent— for just 'a couple of minutes here and there', totalling less than an hour over the course of several weeks. While on holiday, she recalled using sun cream to protect herself from the sun's harmful UV rays, aware that she is 'very fair-skinned and always get burnt'. Upon her return to the UK, the NHS administrator visited her GP to enquire about a mole that was worrying her. 'The doctor said this doesn't look right, I'm going to refer you on the two-week cancer pathway,' she said. She had the mole removed and was called back for an appointment two weeks later. 'There were two Macmillan Cancer nurses in there too… that's when they said to me it's come back as melanoma, stage 1B.' Stage 1B melanoma is one of the earliest stages of the deadliest type of skin cancer. This stage means it has not yet spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body, and it is generally highly curable. Ms Murphy recalled being the youngest person in her cancer support group, aged 23 at the time. 'Everyone else was in their 40s, 50s, 60s,' she said. 'It was an experience.' Doctors performed surgery to cut out the cancer in 2019. 'It felt like such a relief to hear that the cancer hadn't spread,' she said. 'I said to myself, "I've beaten it",' said Lily. But four years later, in January 2023, she began to feel unwell during a family trip to Gloucestershire. She was 'constantly tired' and suffering agonising back pain, which eventually migrated to her chest. 'I couldn't breathe. I said to my mum it feels like something's not right,' she said. Despite repeated trips to A&E, her concerns were dismissed as anxiety, linked to her mental health history. Eventually, she was booked for scans and blood tests in a different department, which revealed the devastating truth: her cancer was back and had spread to her lungs and neck. With new treatments, some people are living with stage four melanoma for a long time according to Cancer Research UK. However, studies suggest that, on average, only half of those with this stage of disease live beyond six years. Ms Murphy began immunotherapy treatment in April 2023, but struggled to tolerate the doses required. She then tried two oral chemotherapy treatments but developed a severe allergic reaction within 10 days, including a rash that spread down her throat. She later developed sepsis, caused by a weakened immune system, and was rushed to hospital. In February 2025, she began a new treatment that has already shown signs of shrinking her cancer, despite only managing four of the recommended 12 tablets per day. 'I'm taking a break from treatment at the moment, because it's just too much on my body,' Ms Murphy said. She has now launched a petition, Ban Sun Beds to Protect Against Skin Cancer, which has already gained more than 700 signatures. 'It was just a spur of the moment thing,' she said. 'Sunbeds are a known cancer risk. 'Banning them would save lives—and save the NHS money.' She has called for a stop to the 'glamourisation' of tanning by social media and influencers. 'Your tan is semi-permanent, but your life should be permanent,' she said. Last year, rates of deadly melanoma reached a record high in the UK, with new diagnoses increasing by almost a third in just a decade, according to Cancer Research UK. Now, experts are warning that cases are on the rise again— set to surge faster in men than women. Michelle Mitchell, CEO at Cancer Research, said: 'The growing number of people diagnosed with melanoma is concerning, especially when we can see that rates are rising faster in men. 'If you notice anything different on your skin, like a new mole, a mole that's changed in size, shape, or colour, or any patch of skin that looks out of the ordinary—don't ignore it, speak to your GP', she added.
Medscape
2 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
Understanding Gaps in OS Data for Melanoma Adjuvant Therapy
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Welcome back, everybody. My name is Teresa Amaral, and it's a real pleasure to have you here for this melanoma series on Medscape. We have talked in the last two episodes about the current status of adjuvant therapy and its benefit in patients with stage III melanoma, and in the last episode we discussed the absence of overall survival (OS) benefit. You may question why it is important to have this discussion in terms of the absence of OS benefit or the absence of data on the OS benefit. This absence of data might have three consequences, and I'm going to go through them with you. The first one is associated with reimbursement. The fact that we will need to wait until 2028, most likely, to evaluate the OS benefit from adjuvant therapy compared to placebo in stage III might lead to some discussions in terms of the reimbursement and might lead some agencies to consider whether they would like to continue reimbursing this therapy or not in this setting. Second, in some countries, the absence of OS data is leading to discussions on whether they will fund this therapy or not until there is clear proof that there is an OS benefit. The third point is related to the fact that we don't knowthe patient's individual benefit. We also know that, depending on the stage, we might need to treat more patients to actually have one patient to prevent a recurrence. For example, we know that in patients in stage IIB, we will have to treat between five and nine patients in stage IIB to prevent a recurrence. In patients with stage IIC, we need to treat between four and seven patients to prevent a recurrence. All of these cost-effectiveness analyses are being done by the healthcare agencies, and this obviously needs to be taken into consideration when we are discussing these types of therapiesthat have a benefit in terms of relapse-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival but lack data in terms of OS benefit. Another point is that, despite the fact that all the guidelines have been supporting the use of this therapy in stage III and stage IV — namely the ESMO guidelines and the ASCO guidelines— there is some uncertainty in terms of the OS benefit. This may lead to some difficult discussions and a lack of clear direction in terms of whatpatients should do when they need to make a decision on receiving adjuvant therapy or not. The patients and their treating physicians may struggle with treatment choices due to this uncertainty and the fact that they don't know if there will be a long-term survival impact for this particular patient or not. Here, we come to the first discussion that we had a couple of sessions before, which is the absence of prognostic and predictive biomarkers in this setting. Besides that, we really don't know the impact of these adjuvant treatments in terms of long-term benefitwhen we talk about OS, which might lead to reduced use of these therapies in stage III and stage II. This decline in terms of use of these adjuvant therapies has already been seen in some countries, like in Denmark.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
I'm a skin cancer expert - there's one body part that's most at risk...because no one puts sun cream there
An expert in the deadliest type of skin cancer has urged the public never to forget their ears when applying sun cream—as that's the part of the body where many of his patients develop lethal melanoma. Dr Michael Park, a dermatologist based in Minneapolis, the US, shared a video to Instagram that told of the 'big chunks' of skin he regularly cuts out of peoples' ears because they have forgotten to apply sunscreen to this delicate area. 'I don't know where people got the idea of "it's just skin cancer, it's not that big of a deal",' he told his 6,000 followers. 'But let me make something really clear. Melanoma, if not caught early, will kill you,' Dr Park warned. He continued: 'I don't know anyone who wants to get a large piece of skin cut out of them, but personally I think there are certain areas that are way worse than other—and one of those places most people forget to apply sunscreen to. The ears.' Melanoma is the most dangerous type of the disease, accounting for four out of five skin cancer deaths. Research shows that nearly 90 per cent of cases are caused by over exposure to ultraviolet radiation, either directly from the sun or sunbeds—meaning they could be prevented. Research shows that up to 70 per cent of people in the UK make catastrophic failures when it comes to sun protection, such as failing to reapply sun cream and not applying the lotion before going out in the sun. 'Aggressive squamous cell carcinoma on the head and neck will also kill you,' Dr Park added. This type of cancer is the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK, and starts in the top layer of the skin. Non-melanoma cancers—basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas—can usually be easily treated especially if they are discovered early. However, the main treatment for the disease is surgery. 'Although the most common type of skin cancer—basal cell carcinoma—will likely not kill you, you literally have to cut it out,' Dr Park explained. This can include cutting out the cancer, known as an excisional biopsy, or freezing the affected skin, which forms a scab that drops off after a few weeks—known as cryosurgery. However, surgeons will often have to cut out some healthy skin, to make sure the cancer doesn't spread, Dr Park warned. He said while completing his medical training, where he spent over a year at a melanoma specialty clinic, he regularly saw skin cancer developing on peoples' ears. 'We don't just cut out the cancer, but the skin surrounding it, to make sure that it doesn't come back,' he said. 'So this summer, unless you want to look like Vincet van Gogh, make sure you put sunscreen on your ears.' Social media users flooded the comment section of the dermatologist's video. One user said: 'I had basal cell carcinoma. It was located inside the ear and they had to cut it out and it was no picnic. It was very painful'. Another user said: 'I've gotten sunburn too many times on my ears!' This comes as data by Cancer Research UK shows that last year, rates of the cancer reached a record high, with new melanoma diagnoses increasing by almost a third in just a decade. Now, experts are warning that melanoma cases are on the rise again. Melanoma typicaly presents as moles that have uneven edges. When diagnosing the deadly disease, dermatologists look out for asymmetry, border, colour, diameter and evolving, known as the ABCDEs. With warmer weather fast approaching, research suggests that 21,300 cases of the disease could be expected this year, the majority of which could be avoided by taking precautions such as applying sunscreen regularly and staying out of the sun. The NHS advises staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, between 11am and 3pm in the UK, keeping arms and legs covered and using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Currently around 15,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with melanoma each year—the UK's fifth most common cancer—with the incidence rate rising faster than any other common cancer. How the cancer is treated depends on whether the cancer has spread, with only 27 per cent of patients diagnosed at stage four surviving beyond five years. This comes as patients with the deadliest type of skin cancer are set to be given fast-tracked access to a revolutionary cancer vaccine on the NHS. The needle-free injection is custom-built for patients to stop their melanoma returning—which experts believe will herald a new era in fighting the disease. It works by boosting the immune system's response, helping it to 'attack' proteins that are specific to melanoma tumours, preventing them from returning. Currently, around half of patients diagnosed with melanoma respond to immunotherapy. But those who don't are at a higher risk of their cancer getting worse.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘I started planning my funeral' says Love Island star as she reveals terrifying cancer scare
A FORMER Love Island star has revealed she started planning her own funeral amid a terrifying cancer scare. Liana Isadora, who appeared on the reality show in 2016, has shared the moment she feared for her future as a warning to those who still use sunbeds. 3 3 The star - who had a ten year addiction to sunbeds - shared a TikTok describing how she feared she had melanoma and believed it was a 'death sentence'. Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body. She explained: 'I literally went home, cried my eyes out and started planning my funeral. I was DISTRAUGHT, convinced I was going to die and it would all be the fault of my own ignorance.' In the hard-hitting clip, Liana started: 'If this is melanoma, then it's a death sentence. Imagine hearing those words at the age of 28, because that was me exactly two years ago today. Full context, I was an extreme sunbed addict for 10 years. 'I had a sunbed in my house, I used tanning nasals, tanning injections, and then I went to a dermatology appointment, I had a symptom of melanoma, and these were the exact words that a dermatologist told me.' She continued: 'I don't know if it was a bit unprofessional for them to be so abrupt, but I am so grateful that they did say the word death sentence to me, because it was the one and only thing that scared me enough to make me stop using sunbeds cold turkey. I've never been on one since, and I'll never go on one again, and I'll never use tanning products again.' Liana was relieved to learn it wasn't cancer, but added 'who's to say this won't catch up with me in the future?' During her time on Love Island, Liana was coupled up with Adam Maxted but they were separated when they were voted, by the rest of the contestants, as one of the weakest couples. She was then coupled with Tom Powell before they got the boot. She now has a child with her boyfriend and often shares videos about how different her life is now. 3 Controversial Love Island star reveals she's secretly become a mum What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it? Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body. It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year. The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK. But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable. The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe - wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds. People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer. Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin. Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease. What are the symptoms? The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin. Most experts recommend using the simple 'ABCDE' rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body. There are five letters/words to remember: A symmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape B order – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border C olours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours D iameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter E nlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma. But other signs to look out for include moles that are: Swollen and sore Bleeding Itchy Crusty How deadly is it? Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. The outlook of a person's disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. Survival is better for women than it is for men. 'We don't know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,' says Cancer Research UK. The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed. Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 - when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin - will survive for five years or more after drops to 80 per cent for stage 2. Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes. At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more. Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people. What is melanoma? Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin. When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun's rays. But melanocytes are also where cancer starts. Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin's DNA. The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth. People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin. Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.
