Understanding Melanoma & The Importance of Family After Cancer
- “Dancing with the Stars” pro and melanoma survivor Witney Carson McAllister, 31, is enjoying life 10 years after being diagnosed with aggressive skin cancer by spending time with her beloved husband and two adorable children—and she recent’y took to social media to share the sweetest holiday photos.
- 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.
- All skin types can suffer from the sun, but there are certain risk factors that could increase your chance of getting skin cancer, such as early exposure to the sun, having more than 50 moles on your body, and a personal or family history of skin cancer.
- Make sure to get your skin checked annually with a dermatologist, who may advise you to come in more frequently depending on your risk level — and in between those visits, doing regular self-checks on your own skin is also important to look for anything suspicious that may have popped up, especially if a mark has changed in a short amount of time.
- Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin previously wrote for SurvivorNet, that it’s “important that you surround yourself with individuals who care and support you throughout and after your treatment,” which she said can be an “arduous chapter.”
McAllister, a ballroom dancer and choreographer from Utah, took to Instagram to share the sweet snaps, with the featured photo of her and her mechanical engineer husband Carson McAllister holding their toddler sons Kevin Leo and Jet Carson on a golf course.
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McAllister captioned her holiday recap post, “A Christmas we won’t forget! Leo age 3, Jet 19 months. Some things to document… Moved in to our renovated home two days before Christmas Eve to host my family- (not done yet!) it was CHOAS but so exciting.
“Christmas Eve family swim & home-made pizza. The Grinch in Christmas pjs (Leo was very into this one!) Twinkle twinkle little star performance from Jet was a highlight.”
She continued, “Christmas morning cinnamon rolls and hash brown casserole while we open presents (my fam and Carson’s moms traditions combined).
“Jet was most excited about his musical set and his basketball, Leo’s faves were his science experiments and his kid cutlery set to help mom and dad cook, & the fire breathing dragon of course. Bethlehem dinner, sharing how Christ has changed us for the better this year. Games with the adults to end the night!”
McAllister also shared a photo of her family’s Christmas tree with presents underneath, a beautifully prepared charcuterie board, and McAllister pictured in workout attire with other girls.
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It’s wonderful to see McAllister making time for her family and her health years after battling cancer.
In addition to sharing more photos of her “boating” activity with her kids and husband, she also offered fans a glimpse of what a typical day of eating is like for her.
She wrote alongside a video compilation of what she normally eats, “Finally filmed a ‘what I eat in a day’ for you guys! Save for some ideas on some realistic healthy meals for the new year!”
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Witney Carson McAllister’s Melanoma Battle
Witney Carson McAllister received the call from a “Dancing with the Stars” producer asking the young dancer to be a professional partner on the show in 2014. She had served as a troupe member the previous two seasons, and the promotion was a dream come true.
However, a few weeks prior, McAllister had a mole removed from her foot that contained melanoma, a disease that had also plagued her parents. At this point, the former tanning salon user was still waiting to see if the disease had spread anywhere else in her body and if she’d need treatment.
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Recounting her diagnosis to NewBeauty about two years, she explained, “When I was 19, my mom noticed a strawberry-colored mole on the top of my foot and said we should go check it out. It was on top left side of my foot and a little bit misshaped, but the most important thing is that it was growing.
“My mom was hypersensitive because both of my parents had melanoma, so it ran in the family. But of course being a teenager in high school, I just thought I was invincible and skin cancer never crossed my mind at all—I was using tanning beds and not wearing sunscreen or protecting my skin at all. I wasn’t really worried, but then we got the results back and they were positive for melanoma.”
She continued, “It’s actually a really crazy story. Right at the same time I got my diagnosis I was also auditioning for ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ I had just finished ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and I had done the tour—I’m so thankful for it because it really launched my career—but my whole life I wanted to be on ‘Dancing With The Stars.’
“That was my dream since I was 7 years old. And then I had the chance to be on the show and I had this melanoma on my foot, so I didn’t tell anyone—even the producers—for a long time. I underwent a few different abrasive surgeries and it was really hard for me because I was torn between going after my dream and taking care of my health. Ultimately I chose to take care of my health, and luckily I had three weeks to heal before the show went live. ”
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McAllister, who has since become an advocate for the disease, also told the Skin Cancer Foundation, “Despite my parents’ brushes with skin cancer, I’d never thought it would happen to me.”
She ultimately underwent surgery to remove an inch of tissue around the mole as well as two lymph nodes from her hip in February 2014 a few weeks before rehearsals for her new gig were supposed to start. Thankfully, her lymph nodes didn’t show any signs that the cancer had spread, and her disease was caught at stage IA.
Still, recovery was “the most devastating, depressing three weeks of [her] entire life,” she recounted to the Skin Cancer Foundation. She had to keep her foot elevated and immobile for 20 hours a day.
“When you’re a dancer, your body means everything,” she said. “I felt like mine had betrayed me.”
Expert Resources On Skin Cancer
- Yes, People Of Color Get Skin Cancer, And It Can Be Deadlier: These Sunscreens Are Made Specifically For Darker Skin Tones
- Cancer-Causing Chemical Found in Banana Boat Sunscreen Leads to Recall; How to Select the Right Sunscreen for Your Skin
- 3 Skin Cancer Myths, Busted: Can One Bad Sun Burn Cause Cancer?
- ‘A Game Changer’: New Combination Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma Offers More Options For Patients
- A Biopsy of Your Mole Doesn’t Mean You Have Melanoma
- Am I at High Risk for Melanoma?
- The Future of Biomarkers in Melanoma Treatment
Sadly, her healing did not progress as fast as she had hoped and she wasn’t ready to dance when rehearsals began. She tried her best against her doctor’s advice and actually ended up ripping her stitches completely open. Another doctor in Los Angeles advised her to quit for fear of infection, but McAllister was determined to chase her dreams and she did exactly that. Looking back, the dancer who’s now become a household name is proud of what she’s overcome and wears the scar on her foot like a badge of honor.
“What I went through helped me become a better dancer and a better person,” she says. “I’m proud of this scar now. It was a catalyst for everything that came afterwards.”
Understanding 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.
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
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.
As for the symptoms of melanoma, the most important thing to look out for when it comes to finding the disease 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
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.
RELATED: 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.
Finding Support During a Cancer Journey
Feeling supported during or after a cancer battle, like Witney Carson McAllister has with her family, is hugely beneficial. According to New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik, receiving the diagnosis “can be a very overwhelming experience” that requires finding support outside of your usual circles.
Seeking Support: The First 3 Things to Do After a Cancer Diagnosis
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” Plutchik previously told SurvivorNet.
“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional.”
Dr. Plutchik recommends the following three steps for anyone who just found out they had cancer.
- Seek additional support if you need it. This might mean speaking to a mental health professional or finding a support group to join.
- If needed, find a mental health professional who has experience helping people dealing with things like cancer.
- Make sure your care team stays connected. Your care team may include your friends, loved ones, therapist and doctors.
Overall, know you’re not alone and there are many people out there for you to be vulnerable with should you choose to open up about your cancer diagnosis.
Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin previously wrote for SurvivorNet, that it’s “important that you surround yourself with individuals who care and support you throughout your treatment,” which she said can be an “arduous chapter.”
That being said, it’s very important to know your limits on what you can handle during treatment.
“Going through treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience,” she wrote. “Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much [is] extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
Family Love and Support Makes a World of Difference During Cancer Treatment
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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