Chronicling My Battle With Skin Cancer
When I carved out this piece of the internet for myself, I never imagined I’d use it for anything besides wine. Yes, I’ve sprinkled in personal anecdotes over the years, but I’ve always remained focused on sharing wine—until this point. I hope you’ll stick with me as we veer off course for a brief detour.
This summer, I was diagnosed with two types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. Recently my days have included more sutures and bandages and less wine glasses and corks. (There’s been some wine! Just not a lot.)
I shared my diagnosis with my closest friends, family, and coworkers, but I waited to share online for a variety of reasons. I hoped it would magically resolve itself, I held out for test results, I wanted to give you answers… Finally, I’m arriving at the light at the end of the tunnel.
This is my skin cancer story.
June 2, 2023: While on a family vacation at Deep Creek Lake, my sister Jessica pointed out an abnormal mole on the back of my right upper arm. My entire family agreed that it needed to be seen by a dermatologist. Upon further inspection I found a suspicious lesion on my left forearm, too.
June 7, 2023: I submitted photos of the lesions via a UPMC eDermatology visit. Based on the photos, the office recommended an in-person evaluation.
June 20, 2023: I visited UPMC North Hills Dermatology where they took biopsies of both lesions.
July 3, 2023: I received pathology reports stating that I had two kinds of skin cancer. (Insert joke about BOGO cancer here.) The lesion on my left forearm was basal cell carcinoma and the mole on my right upper arm was malignant melanoma. The melanoma was Stage 2A, nodular type, 2.3mm deep (Breslow’s thickness), not ulcerated, and had a mitotic count of 2/1mm2. (Technically melanoma stage T3a in the TNM system.)
Initial pathology report
July 11, 2023: I met my oncologist, Dr. Davar, and staff from my surgical oncologist’s office at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Dr. Davar reviewed my melanoma risk factors, stating there was about a 25% chance that melanoma cells had spread beyond the tumor. My care treatment plan included steps to check for Stage 3 or 4 disease.
July 13, 2023: Back at the dermatologist, they performed a “scrape and burn” (curettage and electrodesiccation) procedure on the basal cell carcinoma site to destroy any lingering cancer cells there.
Day of basal cell carcinoma procedure
July 24, 2023: At UPMC Passavant, I had a full body PET scan to check for evidence of metastatic melanoma in distant organs. The week leading up to this day was the most difficult and worrisome period as I agonized over the possibility of Stage 4 cancer.
July 25, 2023: I received the PET scan results: there was no suspicious FDG uptake to suggest metastatic disease! My oncologist called a few days later to confirm the good results.
August 11, 2023: At UPMC Shadyside, I had a two-entry surgical procedure performed by my surgical oncologist, Dr. Holtzman.
Before surgery, radiology performed a lymphosintigraphy to identify the sentinel lymph node, or the first node to receive the lymph drainage from a tumor. I also met with the anesthesiologist, Dr. Stephen McHugh.
During surgery, I was under general anesthesia while Dr. Holtzman performed a wide local excision at the tumor site to remove any remaining cancer cells and a sentinel lymph node biopsy in my right armpit to check for cells there as well. Surgery was about two hours. The specimens were sent to pathology for analysis.
After surgery, I went to recovery (and immediately started talking about Taylor Swift the minute I woke up!). After recovery, I was discharged to go home.
Day of surgery
August 16, 2023: Back to the dermatologist! This was a quick trip to check a few spots that were concerning me. All looked good except some minor folliculitis on my forehead. (Easily solved with antibiotic ointment.)
August 17, 2023: (Original publish date.) Today I received the pathology report on the specimens from August 11. The wide local excision was negative for residual melanoma and the sentinel lymph node was negative for metastatic melanoma. Hooray! My stage was updated to stage T3a N0, i.e. stage 2 with newly added lymph node specification. I still have to speak with my oncologist to confirm next steps, but in all likelihood there won’t be much more to do. This is what I know for sure:
My sutures will be removed on September 5. Both incisions are healing nicely. The sentinel lymph node biopsy incision is about four inches and has dissolvable stitches and glue. The tumor incision is about six inches and has a combination of dissolvable stitches and seven blue sutures that require removal.
Moving forward, I’ll get a full-body screening every three months for a year and every six months for five years. My first is October 20. Unfortunately my risk of developing subsequent tumors is significant, but I’m very optimistic that prevention and quick treatment will ensure that I continue to beat skin cancer!
Pathology report after surgery
September 5, 2023: I visited UPMC Hillman Cancer Center for an oncology appointment and suture removal. Dr. Davar, oncologist, said everything looked good with my scan and pathology results, which is great news. However, given the risk of recurrence (6-12% chance), I will have to get CT scans every six months for five years. Although this means many more visits to Hillman, I’m happy with this surveillance plan. Being proactive is key! The scans are in addition to regular dermatology visits. As for the suture removal, that went smoothly! I was anxious about it, but the PA from the surgeon’s office, Angela, was very nice and did a great job. Next steps: Dermatologist on October 20, CT scan and oncologist appointment on January 2.
October 20, 2023: I received a full-body screening at the dermatologist office. This was to check for new signs of skin cancer, as well as recurrence of the original melanoma tumor. Good news: all clear! They did not have to biopsy anything. They also checked my lymph nodes and deemed all as normal. Next step: CT scan and oncologist appointment on January 2.
January 2, 2024: A trip to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center to start the year. I had a clean CT scan — no sign of metastatic disease. The CT scan did show a healing fractured rib from a bad case of bronchitis in the fall, but that’s feeling much better now. Next steps: Dermatologist at the end of January; CT scan and oncology visit in June.
January 26, 2024: Another good visit to the dermatologist! No suspicious moles and no lymph node concerns.
April 24, 2024: At this dermatologist appointment I had a biopsy done on an atypical mole on my left upper arm. The pathology results came back as benign and there is no further treatment needed.
Future updates will be added and dated here.
Thank you to my friends, family, and coworkers for your support. Special thanks to my parents for helping me the weekend of surgery, my sister Jessica for spotting the abnormal mole on my arm (and for saving my life!), and my sister Ashley for looking at daily photos of my incisions while she completes medical assistant training. Thank you to the staffs of UPMC North Hills Dermatology, UPMC Passavant Imaging Services, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and UPMC Shadyside. Special thanks to Dr. Diwakar Davar, Dr. Matthew Holtzman, Megan Carrigan PA-C, Morgan McGuigan PA-C, Sara Prager CRNP, and Angela Schandelmeier PA-C. I wish I had written down the names of every tech, nurse, medical assistant, and admin who I’ve interacted with over the course of my care. Everyone has been kind, compassionate, and professional. As someone who has worked on the corporate side of healthcare for almost 15 years, I can say with full certainty that the folks at UPMC are exceptional caregivers and clinicians. I am forever grateful for them.
Lastly, please remember to wear sunscreen, examine your skin, wear protective clothing, and limit sun exposure. Your skin will thank you!
