Texas Dermatologists Spot Unusual Mark On Stranger’s Face During Train Ride – And It Turned Out To Be Most Dangerous Skin Cancer

The doctors noticed he had a concerning “dark” and “irregular” shaped spot on his left cheeksomething they suspected could be a deadly form of skin cancer, which it ultimately turned out to be.

Speaking to Insider about what happened, Dr. Striaght recounted telling Meten, “I know this might seem weird, but I just am a dermatologist. I wondered if you’d ever had anybody look at it?”

Once she asked Meten about the unusual mark, he admitted he has never gotten it checked but his wife had been urging him to do so. She claims he has had the mark for more than three years.

Dr. Straight and her husband then offered to take a biopsy of Meffren’s mark at their dermatology clinic in Austin, Texasprompting him to schedule an appointment shortly after.

Days later, the biopsy result revealed what the dermatologists had suspected — he had melanoma in situ (early-stage melanoma), which Dr. Striaght described as “stage zero” as it’s only on the skin’s top layer.

Since the biopsy already removed 75% of the mark, Meffren had two additional appointments to remove the rest.

RELATED: Melanoma in Situ is Highly Treatable

“I feel like he was just grateful to have it diagnosed and addressed before it was anything that had spread through his body or caused him any long-term trouble or issues,” Dr. Straight said.

“We all have health things that come up from time to time that we put off. Life is busy. And so I think that was his situation, but I think in the end he was really happy that he had it addressed and is grateful that it was able to be treated.”

Understanding Melanoma

Melanoma starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. Only, in melanoma, the cells change in a way that makes them able 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. Though it's unlikely that these marks are cancer, you'll want to keep an eye on them and let your doctor know about any changes you do notice.

You're most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed areas of skin, like your face, neck, arms, and legs.

But, perhaps surprisingly, you might also find them in places that have never been exposed to the sun, like the palms of your hands or soles of your feet, on your eyes or mouth, or under your nails.

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. The spot will likely also look different from all of the other spots on your skin (doctors call this the “ugly duckling sign”).

When checking for melanoma, remember your ABCDEs

The acronym ABCDE should be used as your guide when checking your skin:

• 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.

Other red flags to watch for are:

• 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

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

Getting a Melanoma Diagnosis

Unlike with other diseases, the workup for melanoma is pretty straightforward and simple. If you spy a suspicious growth or mole, and/or you want to get evaluated for any worrisome spots on your body, your dermatologist will do a head-to-toe visual examination of your skin.

If a growth warrants further evaluation, you might get a biopsy, which just means removing a tiny piece of skin and sending it to a lab to test for cancer. A biopsy will rule out or confirm whether you have melanoma.

If your doctor happens to detect an advanced melanoma, you may need to have imaging and blood tests done. This will allow your dermatologist to zero in on a specific diagnosis and determine your treatment plan.

The way that melanoma spreads is a bit different than other cancers. Rather than spread directly to other organs, it spreads to the different layers that make up your skin. The higher your stage of melanoma, the deeper it has spread into the layers of your skin, and the more serious your cancer is.

How does your doctor figure out your cancer stage? Medical oncologist Dr. Anna Pavlick explains.

Your doctor will stage your melanoma based on how deep the cancer has gone into your skin.

• Melanoma in situ is a stage zero melanoma that's commonly found on the top layer of sun-damaged skin. It is highly treatable with surgical removal, and it does not usually invade beyond the skin or spread to other organs.
• Stage I melanoma is no bigger than the size of a sharpened pencil. It's easily cured by having a dermatologist remove it.
• Stage II melanoma has spread slightly deeper into the skin.
• Stage III melanoma has spread into the lymph nodes.
• Stage IV is when the melanoma has reached other organs, like the lungs, liver, or brain.

Knowing the stage and other characteristics of your cancer will help your doctor zero in on the right treatment for you.

How Is Melanoma Treated?

There are several options when it comes to treating melanoma, and the approach depends on the stage of the disease as well as certain other factors. When the disease is caught in an early stage, surgery is likely the best option.

MORE: Dr. Nima Gharavi Explains How Surgery Is Used To Remove Skin Cancer

“The gold standard for treatment of melanoma is surgical treatment with wide margins,” Dr. Nima Gharavi, Director of Dermatologic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

In some cases of early-stage melanoma that's close to the skin's surface, Mohs surgery may be offered. This is most common in areas such as the face, ears, and nose.

In some cases, later-stage disease can be removed with surgery as well. For metastatic disease, there have been incredible advances when it comes to treating melanoma with immunotherapy in recent years. Immunotherapy drugs work to rally a patient's own immune system to help recognize and fight cancer cells.

“When immunotherapy came on the market, it was such an exciting time for everyone involved in the care of melanoma, the main reason being is it went from this scary unmanageable cancer with no treatments to one that could potentially have a long-lasting result with patients absolutely never having to worry about their melanoma," explains Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

There are several FDA-approved immunotherapies for melanoma. Each is approved for certain instances of melanoma.

• ​Tebentafusp-tebn (sold under the brand name Kimmtrak)
• Aldesleukin (Proleukin)
• Atezolizumab (Tecentriq)
• Dostarlimab (Jemperli)
• Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A)
• Ipilimumab (Yervoy)
• Nivolumab (Opdivo)
• Peginterferon alfa-2b (Sylatron/PEG-Intron)
• Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)
• Talimogene laherparepvec (Imlygic)
• Imiquimod (Aldara)

The goal is to keep steadily reducing the chance of recurrence in all patients. It's not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Some people may not be candidates for this therapy. What works for one person might not work for another, and researchers are continuing to study new and better ways to use immunotherapy to fight melanoma.

WATCH: What's next for the immunotherapy revolution?

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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