Skin Cancer Myth Busting
- Actress Kerry Washington, 47, produced a documentary focused on skin health and tackled myths — like the one that people with darker skin can’t get skin cancer. Singer Bob Marley is among those who died of a rare type of melanoma.
- 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. It’s the type of melanoma that Marley was diagnosed with.
- Melanoma 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 most important thing to look out for when finding melanoma early is a new spot on your skin or a spot changing in size, shape, or color.
- Using sunscreen daily with an SPF of 30 or higher effectively protects your skin from harmful UV rays.
“It was really important to me in the documentary to address a lot of those myths. Because people…tend to think that skin cancer doesn’t have anything to do with them. Obviously, that’s not true when you look at the numbers of how many people are diagnosed every year,” Washington told People Magazine.
“There would be some times where we would [leave] for Christmas break in the middle of an episode for ‘Scandal.’ They’d be like, ‘Don’t come back three shades darker because we’re in the middle of this episode.’ You can’t be jumping skin color from one scene to the next!” Washington said.
Helping You Cope With Skin Cancer
While some people with darker skin are cautious about their time in the sun to avoid darkening their skin for cultural reasons, including colorism, where people with darker skin face increased discrimination, the sun can damage the skin beyond vanity reasons.
“People say, ‘Black don’t crack,’ but we know that the sun is one of those things that really causes aging in the skin. Those are things that I’ve thought about through the years,” Washington explained.
One of the key takeaways from the doc is skin safety is important for everyone.
Understanding Melanomas
Melanoma starts in the same cells that give your skin, hair, and eyes their color. In melanoma, the cells 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. 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
WATCH: Understanding Your Skin Cancer Risk
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.
Skin Cancer Prevention and Treatment Options
Some melanoma risk factors include:
- Being fair-skinned
- Blond hair and blue eyes
- Family history of skin cancer
- Having multiple sunburns
- Weakened immune system
- Living closer to the equator or at a higher altitude
- Dysplastic nevus syndrome (DNS): an inherited condition characterized by numerous atypical moles, often thousands
- A prior history of melanoma
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.
SurvivorNet’s medical experts say the most important thing to look for when finding melanoma is a new spot on your skin or a spot changing in size, shape, or color.
Treatment options for melanoma may include targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which give people a better chance of living a long and healthy life when diagnosed at advanced stages.
If you’ve been 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. 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.
WATCH: Melanoma treatment options
For melanoma patients who need additional treatment after surgery, they are likely to receive adjuvant therapy (treatments administered after surgery). Adjuvant therapy is designed to improve outcomes and decrease the risk of recurrence. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved some adjuvant therapy treatments for melanoma, which include:
- Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)—This medication is an immunotherapy that helps the immune system attack and kill cancer cells. It is a PD1 inhibitor drug that blocks the PD1 pathway cancer cells use to hide from the immune system.
- Nivolumab (Opdivo)—Nivolumab is another form of immunotherapy. It is a PD1 inhibitor that works similarly to pembrolizumab.
- Dabrafenib (Tafinlar) and trametinib (Mekinist) combination—This is a targeted therapy combo for patients with a BRAF V600E/K mutation fueling their cancer. About 50% of melanomas have BRAF mutations.
- Ipilimumab (Yervoy)—This medication is also an immunotherapy. It works by blocking CTLA4 protein, which is found normally on T-cells. This keeps immune cells alert to fight off cancer cells and stop their growth.
When Something Looks Concerning, What to Do
Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recommends looking at your skin once a month for anything suspicious and using the acronym ABCDE as a checklist:
- Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match? If not, your mole is considered asymmetrical
- Borders: The edges of your mole look irregular, jagged, or uneven; can also stand for bleeding
- Colors: There are multiple distinct colors in the mole, including patches of pink, brown, grey, and black, but it could be any color
- Diameter: Larger than 6mm, about the size of a pencil head eraser
- Evolution: Anything that’s changing over time, such as gaining color, losing color, pain, itching, or changing shape.
WATCH: Remember ABCDE When Looking for Signs of Skin Cancer
Dr. Larocca emphasizes that any mole that changes in appearance or causes symptoms should be examined by a dermatologist as soon as possible. Black moles of any kind are also at high risk for melanoma.
See your dermatologist for a full skin assessment if you notice any of these changes.
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?
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
