A woman with mark on her nail that looked like a splinter was diagnosed with rare, aggressive skin cancer that can be easily missed.
Charmaine Sherlock, 34, first spotted a thin, black line beneath the cuticle of her left thumb in the summer, and thought she was having an autoimmune reaction, she told the medium.
A nurse practioner urged her to get the line checked for cancer after she visited the dermatologist for an unrelated rash.
Cancer Beneath The Nail Can Look Like A Dark Streak
At that point, Sherlock didn’t think that such a small mark could be as dangerous as a melanoma, a rare skin cancer that’s deadlier than others because it’s more likely to spread in the body, according to the British Association of Dermatologists.
“All of the pictures on Google were horrific. These nails were like falling off. They were black. Most of them, the entire nail was black, and the line was really really thick,” and in comparison her line looked small, Sherlock said.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, signs of a melanoma in the nail can include: a dark streak, darkened skin around the nail, a nail separating from the nail bed, a split nail, or a bump or nodule on the nail.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that anyone with nail changes sees a dermatologist.
“Nail melanoma is often diagnosed at a more advanced stage than melanoma on the skin, making it more dangerous for your health,” it states.
The Line Started To Grow Every Day
To test the mark for cancer, a doctor took a biopsy, which involved punching a hole in the nail.
After the biopsy, Sherlock tracked the line by taking photos daily and noticed that it was growing from one day to another.
Within a month, the line grew from a barely noticeable mark at the base of her thumb nail to taking up more than half of the nail bed, she said.
After two weeks, the doctor told her that the biopsy results suggested that she had what is known as a lentigo maligna, which can develop into melanoma.
Sherlock was still concerned about the fast-growing line and sought a second opinion.
A second biopsy found that she had a rare melanoma subtype, called a subungal melanoma.
Dr. Adam Friedman, interim chair of dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Science, told the medium in April that because subungal melanomas is rare, it can be missed and “go on for years without being recognized.”
“It can certainly be aggressive if not caught. That’s the rule of all melanomas,” he said.
Doctors removed Sherlock’s nail — and went all the way to the bone
Doctors removed the cancer in November, going down to Sherlock’s bone.
The surgery may have damaged some of her tendons, which could lead to lifelong mobility issues, but she said she had the “best outcome.”
“The melanoma is gone,” Sherlock said.
Sherlock shared her story to encourage others to see a doctor if they notice changes in their body, even if they appear minor.
Culled from Insider.
