2023-05-26 15:00:00
Skin cancer can take various forms: a 48-year-old American made the painful experience of it. Indeed, it was following feeling an itch between two of her toes on her left foot and noticing the appearance of a small brown spot that she was diagnosed with melanoma, which is quite rare.
Acral melanoma: unknown signs
Faced with the tingling felt, Amy Jardon, who lives in Iowa, did not worry immediately. “I had an appointment the following week with my GP for something else. I told her regarding it. She said: it’s nothing. Don’t worry regarding it,” she explained in the newspaper. Today. The doctor still ordered a biopsy for safety. The diagnosis was then made: skin cancer.
“I was shocked. I quickly sat down… I was diagnosed in 2015 around January/February. My mother had died on December 12 of cancer. My sister was diagnosed six months ago with another cancer“, she recalls.
It was a acral melanoma, which affects the extremities: the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet in the form of a brown or black spot (but sometimes also uncolored with irregular contours), or the nails in the form of an irregular black band. The discovery of the disease is often made late because the lesion is not recognized.
Acral melanoma may result from friction of the skin
While other skin cancers mostly result from exposure to UV rays, this cancer can appear as a result of friction and irritation of the skin: “These cancers develop on parts of the body that are not regularly exposed to the sun. Researchers aren’t sure exactly what causes acral melanoma, but it’s thought to be related to pressure, friction, irritation, and trauma to the area.“, details the cancer treatment center City of Hope in California.
Several months following the operation, Amy Jardon was able to start running once more – her favorite hobby – and completed two half-marathons.
After the initial cancer detection, she underwent regular screening and annual check-ups. The cancer has not come back.
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