Actress Katherine Ryan, 42, Says a Mole On Her Arm ‘Kept Changing’ Despite Her Doctor Claiming It Wasn’t Cancerous, Then Came a Melanoma Diagnosis

Despite the reassurance, Ryan’s gut told her something was wrong. The mole kept evolving, and her unease grew. She pushed for a second opinion—only to discover how forceful she had to be just to get her concerns taken seriously.

“I know a lot about melanoma, I had a melanoma as a very young woman, stage two on my leg—and I’ve spoken about that before,” she explained. “Even that didn’t look traditionally like melanoma to me.”

Determined to get answers, Ryan returned to the doctor and insisted on a deeper biopsy. “I wanted the doctor to remove a bigger piece of it,” she said. That decision proved critical—the mole was melanoma.

WATCH: Am I at High Risk for Melanoma?

Melanoma starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color—the cells in melanoma change, allowing them to spread to other organs.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. You’ll want to watch them and tell your doctor about any changes you notice.

You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. However, you might also find it in other places, like:

• The palms of your hands or soles of your feet
• On your eyes or mouth
• Under your nails

“It just feels crazy to me, like what could have happened if I hadn’t been my own advocate—and I will continue to be my own advocate,” she said.

Her experience underscores a vital truth echoed by SurvivorNet experts: second opinions can be life-saving. They help confirm diagnoses, uncover better treatment options, and give patients the confidence to make informed decisions. In Ryan’s case, self-advocacy wasn’t just empowering; it influenced her cancer journey’s trajectory.

Why Self-Advocacy in Healthcare Can Be Life-Saving

When patients actively advocate for their health, it can lead to earlier diagnoses, broader treatment options, and ultimately better outcomes—especially when initial symptoms are overlooked or dismissed.

Part of this advocacy means not settling for a single medical opinion. Persistence matters: revisiting your doctor, pushing for answers, and seeking additional perspectives from other healthcare providers can be crucial steps in the journey.

WATCH: The value of getting a second opinion

Dr. Steven Rosenberg, Chief of Surgery at the National Cancer Institute, underscored this point in a conversation with SurvivorNet:

“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care. Because finding a doctor who is up to date with the latest information is important,” Dr. Rosenberg said.

His words are a powerful reminder that having the right medical team can make all the difference—and that begins with being your own strongest advocate.

Getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, some surgeons own radiation treatment centers. “So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon who is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.

Other reasons to get a second opinion include:

• To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of cancer
• You have a rare type of cancer
• There are several ways to treat your cancer
• You feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you sound advice
• You have trouble understanding your doctor
• You don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
• Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
• Your cancer isn’t improving with your current treatment

WATCH: The Importance Of Getting A Second Opinion: Tara Lessard Shares Her Cancer Story.
Some health insurance companies will cover the cost of a second opinion. Still, it’s a good idea to find out if yours does before you visit a new doctor, as some insurance companies have stipulations on the extent of coverage they will provide.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to stop at a second opinion. Provided that you have the time and financial resources, you may want to consider getting a third or a fourth opinion. Just don’t get so many opinions that your treatment options overwhelm you.

With each new doctor you visit, bring a copy of your:

• Pathology report from your biopsy or surgery
• Surgical report
• Imaging tests
• The treatment plan that your current doctor recommended

Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Precise Approach to Skin Cancer Treatment

Mohs surgery is the leading method for treating skin cancer on delicate, high-risk areas like the face, ears, and nose. This meticulous technique—known as Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS)—uses microscopic guidance to remove cancerous tissue layer by layer, ensuring that only affected areas are excised while preserving as much healthy skin as possible.

WATCH: The best surgery option for melanoma.

It’s especially effective for treating common skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

During the procedure, the area is numbed with a local anesthetic. The surgeon carefully removes the visible tumor with a scalpel and immediately examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer cells remain, the process is repeated—one layer at a time—until all cancerous cells are gone.

This methodical approach offers high cure rates, particularly when cancers are caught early, and minimizes scarring for sensitive, visible areas of the body.

Spotting Skin Cancer

You should check your body for unusual spots or moles at least once a month. Any new spots or changes in size or color demand your attention.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Though these marks are unlikely to be cancerous, you’ll want to keep an eye on them and inform your doctor about any changes you notice.

WATCH: When checking for melanoma, remember your ABCDEs

Melanoma is most likely to develop on sun-exposed skin, such as the face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, it might also develop in places that have never been exposed to the sun, such as the palms of your hands or soles of your feet, your eyes or mouth, or under your nails.

SurvivorNet experts describe melanoma symptoms as:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
• Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole.
• Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• A change in the way the surface of a mole looks.
• Scaliness, oozing, or blood

Tips to Protect Your Skin from Skin Cancer

As many of us enjoy spending lots of time in the sun during the spring and summer, we must remember that the sun can harm us. For most people, there are simple ways to significantly reduce their risk of developing skin cancer.

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman offers five ways to protect your skin from cancer. Most of her recommendations are simple to follow and could save your life.

WATCH: How to protect your skin from skin cancer.

Her simple tips include:

• Avoid the sun during peak hours, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are outside during those hours, protect yourself from harmful sun rays.
• Cover your skin and eyes. A wide-brim hat and sunglasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
• Wear an SPF of 30 or higher. Dr. Engelman also recommends reapplying every few hours or after excessive sweating or swimming.
• Get an annual skin check. You can check your skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you notice anything unusual between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor.
• Avoid tanning beds.

If you feel like you’re just too pale, Dr. Engelman recommends a sunless tanner. “There’s absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed,” Dr. Engelman said.

WATCH: Melanoma treatment options

People with Darker Skin Complexions Also Face Skin Cancer Risks

A rare form of melanoma called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) impacted Bob Marley. According to research published in the medical journal Neoplasia, acral melanoma “arises on the non-hair-bearing skin of the nail bed, palms of the hand and soles of the feet” and is not linked to sun ultraviolet (UV) light like other skin cancers.

This rare subtype of melanoma is more common among people of Black, Hispanic/Latin, and Asian descent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Non-Hispanic Black people are often diagnosed with melanoma at later stages, and the predominant histologic types of melanomas that occur in non-Hispanic Black people have poorer survival rates than the most common types among non-Hispanic white people.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests the following to help you on your cancer journey.

• What type of skin cancer do I have?
• What treatment options exist for my specific cancer?
• Will insurance cover this treatment?
• Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense to me?
• What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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