The Doctors: Man Discovers Melanoma After Shaving Head
The Doctors TV show told the story of Bud, a man who discovered he had malignant melanoma after shaving his head to support his wife Dolly, who had breast cancer.
The doctors told Dolly that they were extremely lucky–by the time Bud would have shown symptoms, it would have been too late. The doctor said that Bud could have been dead by Christmas. Bud said the only indication of his cancer was some mild itching on his head, but he thought it was dandruff. He even went out and got dandruff shampoo.
Dolly said that her cancer saved Bud’s life. She discovered her cancer after doing a breast self exam and finding a lump.
The Drs: Melanoma Can Come From Birthmarks
Learn about the ABCDE signs of melanoma so you can do self exams and spot cancer before it’s too late.
After shaving his head, Bud just thought the spot was a birthmark he never knew he had. Dr. Andrew Ordon said that sometimes melanoma can arise from a birthmark.
Dr. Travis Stork said that Bud and Dolly are a living example of what it means to be there for someone when they have an illness.
The Drs TV: Squamous Cell, Basal Cell and Malignant Melanoma
Dr. Ordon said the three types of cancer are squamous cell, basal cell and malignant melanoma. Melanoma is a cancer of the pigmented cells that we have in our skin. It’s the most serious form, and it’s the most likely to spread.
Bud’s malignant melanoma was stage 3 and the size of a 50 cent piece. Doctors did a wide excision and took out skin around the melanoma to make sure they got it all off.
They had to go fairly deep because sometimes melanoma can spread to your blood vessels. Bud received a skin graft to cover up the area. Dr. Ordon said that if you see something like this, don’t ignore it.
The Doctors: ABCDE Signs of Melanoma
Dr. Ordon went over the ABCDE signs of melanoma. A is for asymmetry, which means the two sides of the mark are not exactly the same. B is for border, and typically melanoma borders are irregular.
C is for color. Melanoma is usually a dark shaded color and sometimes it has other colors mixed in with it. D is for diameter – melanomas are typically larger than other skin cancers. E stands for evolving, and means you’ve seen the mark change color and size.
Right now, both Dolly and Bud are cancer free. Dolly has finished chemotherapy and is going through radiation, and Bud is beginning chemotherapy soon. Learn more about the ABCDE signs of melanoma in the video below.
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