ESPN Sports Commentator Holly Rowe, 58, Insists ‘No Tan Is Worth What I’ve Been Through’ After Aggressive Skin Cancer Battle

Rowe, who has also worked for sports news outlets in Salt Lake City including KSL Radio, Fox 13 TV, KBYU TV, BYU Sports Network and KFNZ Radio, was diagnosed with desmoplastic melanoma in 2015, a disease which later developed into stage four metastatic melanoma when the disease spread to her lungs, where tumors were found.

According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, desmoplastic melanoma is a type of skin cancer that “begins when the melanocytes in the skin grow out of control and form tumors” and “melanocytes are the cells responsible for making melanin, the pigment that determines the color of the skin.” it’s a disease that accounts for approximately four percent of all skin melanomas.

Melanoma: Overview

Rowe told the magazine, “I ended up with one small spot on my chest that I thought was not a big deal, and it almost killed me. It went to my lungs and literally almost killed me, just from wanting to tan and wanting to look good.”

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The reporter and play-by-play commentator, who has been working for ESPN for more than 20 years, thinks her prior tanning bed use led to her cancer diagnosis, a time she recounts as “pretty dark days,” as she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to live with the disease with it having already spread to her lungs.

According to the FDA, indoor tanning beds emit a type of UV ray, and UV exposure can increase the risk of skin cancer. (The sun also emits UV rays.)

The National Center for Biotechnology Information published a 2011 study by Yale Cancer Center researchers examining indoor tanning and the risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma. The study concluded that tanning beds were a “strong risk factor.”

Additionally, a study published recently in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, suggests that banning tanning beds among minors would prevent thousands of cases of melanoma in adolescents, along with millions of dollars in healthcare costs.

RELATED: One Tanning Bed Session Can Increase Your Risk of Melanoma by 20%: What You Haven’t Heard About the Dangers of Tanning

“Studies have shown that exposure to tanning beds increases the risk of skin cancer and ocular cancer,” says Dr. Lynn A. Cornelius, chief of the Division of Dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “It also induces changes that lead to premature aging of the skin. There is no ‘safe’ tanning bed.”

Dr. Cornelius recommends spray tans and sunless lotions for safer alternatives to tanning beds. While “one should take precautions not to inhale the product when getting a spray tan,” she said, “skin allergic reactions are rare.”

As for Rowe, She recounted her doctor telling her she had to “think about how you’re spending your time,” something which prompted her to embrace life and do things she’s always dreamed of.

However, thanks to her determination to get better and advances in treatment, she has now been declared “cancer-free” and considers herself “lucky.”

She beat the disease with the help of the surgeries she underwent to remove the cancerous tissues, chemotherapy and by taking an immunotherapy drug.

WATCH: How Immunotherapy Helps Fight Melanoma

Immunotherapy involves reengineering your immune cells to target the cancer cells from within to kill them.

It’s unclear what type of drugs Rowe took, but immunotherapy drugs like (generic name: pembrolizumab) (brand name: Keytruda) and (generic name: nivolumab) (brand name: Opdivo) can help some people with melanoma cancer live longer.

Combining immunotherapy drugs might also extend survival. However, your doctor can best determine which treatment is right for you.

Additionally, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine for people whose melanoma has spread and can’t be removed with surgery. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a modified herpes virus that kills cancer cells when doctors inject it directly into the cancer.

Rowe, who believes the immunotherapy medication “really helped save my life,” will now get scanned every six months to check for cancer recurrence. And although she now has join pain stemming from chemo, surgery scars, and lymphedema [swelling that generally occurs in an arm or leg], she’s grateful to have beaten the disease.

She also told Women’s Health, “I know it’s not a sexy message—people are like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know about sunscreen.’ No, you don’t know that you’re going to go sit in a college football stadium for seven hours because of all the time [a game can] take.’

“I promise you, you do not want to get melanoma. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.”

“Prevention is the biggest thing,” she concluded.

Learning More About Melanoma

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. It starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. In melanoma, the cells change in a way that allows them to spread to other organs.

The type of melanom Rowe battled was desmoplastic melanoma, a rare type of melanoma which often is spotted by a growth on the skin that may seem to be a scar in texture and appearance. “It tends to develop on the face, scalp, neck, and sun-exposed areas of the arms and legs. The spot can be any color but is most often pink or red,” Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center explains.

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.

WATCH: How do you perform a skin check using the ABCDEs?

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

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

RELATED: Speaking Out After Skin Cancer Surgery: ‘Summer House’ Star Ashley Wirkus ‘Always Wore Sunscreen’ Says it Still Wasn’t Enough

SurvivorNet experts recommend avoiding unprotected sun exposure because ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to melanoma. Tanning beds pose ultraviolet radiation risks for skin cancer and should be avoided. Many dermatologists recommend using spray tans to reduce the risk of melanoma skin cancer.

What Are the Symptoms of Melanoma?

The most important thing to look out for when it comes to finding melanoma is a new spot on your skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color, SurvivorNet’s medical experts say.

When you check your skin, use the acronym ABCDE as your guide:

• Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
• Borders: Is the mole irregular or jagged?
• Colors: Are there multiple distinct colors in the mole?
• Diameter: Is the mole larger than 6 millimeters (mm), about the size of a pencil head eraser?
• Evolution: Has the mole’s color, shape, or size changed over time?

RELATED: The Genetic Mutation That Drives Many Metastatic Melanomas

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.

Melanoma Treatment Options

Melanoma treatment has come a long way. Survival rates have risen dramatically, thanks to a “treatment revolution,” say SurvivorNet’s experts. With breakthrough treatments like targeted therapy and immunotherapy now available, people who are diagnosed today have a much better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before.

If you’re diagnosed with melanoma, there’s a good chance surgery is going to be the treatment your doctor recommends. In the early stages of the disease, removing the cancer should lead to a cure. The question is typically not whether you’ll get surgery, but which kind you’ll have.

WATCH: Dermatologic Surgeon Dr. Nima Gharavi, On The “Gold Standard Treatment” For Melanoma

For an early-stage melanoma that is close to the skin surface, Mohs surgery might be an option. This technique removes skin cancer, layer by layer, until all the cancer is gone.

In general, stage I melanoma surgery consists of the simple, in-office removal of the cancerous cells by a dermatologist. If the cancer is thicker, your surgeon will remove it through a technique called wide excision surgery.

The removal of stage II and III melanomas are performed by surgeons or surgical oncologists, not dermatologists. You may also have a sentinel lymph node biopsy to see if the melanoma has spread to the first lymph node where it’s most likely to travel. If your cancer has reached this first lymph node, it may have spread to other neighboring lymph nodes, and possibly to other organs. Where the cancer is will dictate your treatment.

After surgery, the removed tissue and lymph nodes will go to a specialist called a pathologist, who will measure the melanoma and find out if it has clear margins. Having clear margins means the cells around the area of tissue that was removed don’t contain any melanoma. When there aren’t any cancer cells left around the removed area, your cancer is less likely to come back.

Once your cancer spreads, treatment gets a little more complicated, but there are still ways to stop it. New treatments have vastly improved the outlook for people with metastatic, or stage IV, melanoma.

Targeted drugs and immunotherapy have been shown to be more effective than chemotherapy. So, with many more choices, there is no standard treatment. Treatment will vary based on your condition and whether there is recurrent disease.

Research has found that immunotherapy drugs such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) helped some people live longer. Combining immunotherapy drugs Yervoy (ipilimumab) and Opdivo (nivolumab) has also extended survival. Opdivo (nivolumab) + relatlimab is a new therapy option added to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines in 2022.  The combination of two immunotherapies is called Opdualag.

For those with the BRAF mutation, targeted drugs which shrink or slow the tumor can be a good option. This could include a combination of drugs, such as:

• Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Cotellic (cobimetinib)
• Braftovi (encorafenib) and Mektovi (binimetinib)
• Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib)
• Zelboraf (vemurafenib) and Cotellic (cobimetinib) can also be combined with atezolizumab.

“Every patient is different and every situation is different,” says Dr. Anna Pavlick, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. She emphasized that “there is no cookie-cutter recipe,” for treating stage IV melanoma.

There Is No “Cookie Cutter Recipe” for Treating Stage Four Melanoma

Dr. Pavlick also notes the importance of personalized care and treatment. “It really is a matter of looking at the tools we have so that we can pick the right tools to give the patient the best outcome.”

So, while there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating metastatic melanoma, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your individual situation. Advances in research and technology are making the fight against metastatic melanoma more hopeful than ever.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

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

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

WATCH: Clinical trials can be life-saving.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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