Facing Melanoma, the Most Dangerous Skin Cancer
- Amanda Eilian, a board member of the Melanoma Research Alliance, mom of two, and entrepreneur was diagnosed at age 33 with skin cancer after pushing for an “unusual” mole on her right wrist, something her daughter noticed and described as “chocolate.” After pushing for her dermatologist to remove the odd mark, Eilian learned she had stage 2 melanoma.
- Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color.
- You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. However, you might also find them in your feet, eyes, and mouth.
- When it comes to your health, be a little pushy. You know your body better than anyone else. When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.
Eilian, who is now a board member for the Melanoma Research Alliance and in remission, is sharing her cancer story with hope to inspire others to follow their gut and push for answers when it comes to your health.
Despite the mole being examined two additional times, over the course of two years, it took her daughter’s “chocolate” remark to motivate Eilian to request her doctor to remove it.
She discovered a week later that the biopsy done of the mark revealed skin cancer, stage 2 melanoma to be exact.
Eilian recounted her doctor saying in a followup phone call, “So Amanda, sorry … but I was wrong. This is actually melanoma and you need to get back here, quickly.”
Helping You Cope With Skin Cancer
She added, “It was a great lesson. not the way you want to learn the lesson, of learning the importance of self-advocacy and taking a proactive role in your own health.
“It takes a certain amount of self confidence to continue to push back, and frankly, I lacked it at the time, and still have to intentionally cultivate that knowledge that I know my body better than anyone else.”
Looking back on when she first noticed the odd spot on her wrist, she admitted it was “probably the darkest spot on my body,” adding, “I later learned (the color of the mole) was a common marker of skin cancer.”
As for when she mustered up the courage to ask for the mole to be removed, Eilian had told her doctor, “I’m uncomfortable, please take it off. After (my) pushing, he did take it off. But as he was taking it off, I distinctly remember him saying, ‘I’m just telling you right now this is nothing.'”
Eilian, whose grandmother and aunt had melanoma, admitted her diagnosis was “a very, very scary thing to hear when I had two young children at home.”
However, she successfully had the mole completely removed by a hand surgeon and no follow-up treatments were needed. She simply just sees her dermatologist every three months for skin checkups.
She explained, “There was concern that because of the amount of tissue they had to take out that there was a risk of me losing some functioning in my hand. Thank goodness, I never had that problem. But surgery was a little bit delicate from that standpoint.”
Recovery went well, even though Eilian was also juggling two young children at the time. She did not need any follow-up treatments, such as chemotherapy. Still, she visits the dermatologist every three months for regular skin checks.
The loving mom and entrepreneur continued, said her skin cancer scare “heightened my awareness of my need to be careful with my health” and how she does “know more about my body than anyone else.”
She advises others, “Be persistent and be confident in yourself and your own observations.”
Understanding Melanomas
Melanoma, a Amanda Eilian has had, 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.
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. 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
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.
WATCH: How do you perform a skin check using the ABCDEs?
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?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our experts say it’s time to see your dermatologist for a skin check.
Treating Melanoma
With breakthrough treatments like targeted therapy and immunotherapy now available, people diagnosed today with melanoma have a much better chance of living a long and healthy life than ever before.
The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for localized melanoma that has not spread is 99%. The five-year survival rate for melanoma that has spread to other body parts drops to 74% for regional spread and 35% for distant spread.
If you’re diagnosed with melanoma, there’s a good chance surgery will be the treatment your doctor recommends. Cancer removal usually leads to a cure in the early stages of the disease.
Mohs surgery might be an option for an early-stage melanoma close to the skin surface. This technique removes skin cancer, layer by layer until all the cancer is gone.
Stage 1 melanoma surgery consists of 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.
Removing Stage Two and Three Melanomas
Stage 2 and stage 3 melanoma surgeries 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 organs.
RELATED: How Do I Know My Skin Cancer is Gone?
After surgery, the removed tissue and lymph nodes are examined to measure the melanoma and determine if it has clear margins. Clear margins mean the cells around the area of tissue that was removed don’t contain any melanoma. When no cancer cells are left around the removed area, your cancer is less likely to return.
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?
The Importance of Advocating for Yourself
Standing up for yourself is important. If you feel that you’re being dismissed or mistreated by a doctor. Getting a second opinion is crucial if something doesn’t feel right. Experts tell SurvivorNet that no one knows your body better than you, so if you feel like something is wrong, keep pushing for answers.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet that sometimes, patients need to be pushy.
Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate… Don’t Settle
“From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work,” Dr. Murrell said.
And as a patient, “If you don’t feel like each of these four things has been accomplished, just ask! Even if it requires multiple visits or seeing additional providers for a second opinion, always be your own advocate.”
Ultimately, patients advocating for their health can lead to better patient outcomes. This is especially important when you find your doctor has misdiagnosed your symptoms.
A component of advocating for yourself in healthcare includes going back to the doctor multiple times and even getting multiple opinions.
Dr. Steven Rosenberg is the National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery, and he previously told SurvivorNet about the advantages of getting input from multiple doctors.
Cancer research legend urges patients to get multiple opinions.
“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 the latest of information is important,” Dr. Rosenberg said.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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