When the sun shines, it’s common knowledge to apply sunscreen.
For David Bateson, however, this precaution serves as a clear reminder of how skin cancer can affect unexpected areas, such as the scalp.
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The 48-year-old father of three has always sported a magnificent head of thick, dark hair and never considered that skin cancer could develop in his hair.
So when he discovered a small bloody lump on top of his crown, he didn’t care.
“I thought I had just hit my head and it was scabbed over,” he explained.
“It was the size of a bubble wrap and had no pain. But it just wouldn’t heal.
His wife, Lisa, a nurse, encouraged him to get checked.
He was initially given steroid cream, which eliminated the lump after a week.
But when he came back, the doctor said, “I’m not so sure. I’ll take you to a specialist.”
A biopsy was taken for examination and David received a call from his doctor during a work meeting, who requested an urgent meeting.
Assuming it was to arrange a meeting, David’s heart sank when his doctor said he needed to see him immediately.
“I wasn’t worried up until that point,” David recalled.
“When they said, ‘Come here,’ I think I knew it was skin cancer. But then you start thinking, ‘What type is this?’ I knew what you don’t want is melanoma.
“And unfortunately it was. I was obviously very anxious on that trip back. The nightmare began then.”
Cancer Research UK reported that melanoma was the fastest rising cancer in the UK, with around 17,500 new cases each year and 2,341 deaths annually.
UK Charity Melanoma Focus warned that melanoma was the deadliest form of skin cancer, although 86% of cases were preventable.
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David was diagnosed with melanoma in December 2019.
He underwent surgery to remove the cancerous lesion on the crown as well as the surrounding skin to ensure complete removal.
A skin graft from her leg was used to replace the removed skin, and several lymph nodes from her neck were removed to check for spread.
Fortunately, the surgery appeared to be successful.
However, eight months later, David found a lump on his neck that raised concerns.
“I think around September or August 2020 I noticed that one of my lymph nodes in my neck felt like a frozen pea and wasn’t going down. That meant I was fighting something,” he recalled.
“I had an ultrasound and I was talking to the (sonographer) and asked what we were looking for.
It was about living with cancer – there was never any talk about it curing me.”
David Bateson
“He said, ‘If the lymph node is black halfway through the scan, then it’s usually cancerous.’
“We were both looking at the screen and you could see a shape that looked like a football.
“I looked at the middle and thought: ‘it’s black’.
“I said, ‘It’s not great, is it?’ And he said, ‘No, it’s not great, but let’s go in there and take some and test it.’
Further tests revealed that the cancer had returned and spread to David’s lymphatic system.
He underwent aggressive surgery to remove part of the lymphatic system in his neck, followed by debilitating sessions of radiation therapy that made swallowing difficult.
The treatments were effective in removing the cancer, and he was released once again.
‘THE ODDS WERE NOT GREAT’
But eight months later, a routine three-month scan showed the cancer had returned and spread to his liver, lungs and spine.
“I thought it was over,” David admitted.
“The chances weren’t great. But they had the immunotherapy drug that was available and being used in different people with melanoma.
“What this treatment did was put the brakes on the immune system and allowed the body to detect and fight cancer cells.
“Melanoma was one of the first types of cancer in which this drug was found to be effective. It didn’t work on all types of cancer,” he said.
“I think my doctor said there was a 50/50 chance of reacting to the medicine and even less of a complete remission.
“But it was about living with cancer – there was never any talk about it curing me.”
For his immunotherapy treatments, David went to the hospital, where a combination of immune-boosting medications were added to his bloodstream intravenously, with each four-week session lasting between one and two hours.
As the cancer spread to his spine, he also underwent further radiotherapy.
‘CANCER FREE’
Miraculously, the immunotherapy worked better than expected and in January this year, David was told he was cancer free.
He now looked forward to a healthy future with his wife and three children: George, 22, Jack, 19, and Grace, 17.
Reflecting on his treatment, David said: “I lived around the test results. I wasn’t worrying too much about the future.
“I wanted to create memories with my family and that was beautiful. Knowing that you have a limited lifespan and knowing that every day is important.”
Last year, David raised £50,000 for Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where he underwent treatment.
For those concerned about skin cancer on the scalp, David had some important advice: “If you can put sunscreen on your crown, then great.
“But if you’re sitting by the pool, or just going to the shops, protect your scalp as much as possible and put on a bloody hat.”
How to spot a rogue mole
IF you’ve seen a persistent wart or mark somewhere on your skin, it would be smart not to rule it out.
Especially if it feels a little strange.
Melanoma often starts as a new mole or a change in a mole you already have.
The ABCDE rule can be followed to assess the health of a mole. If your mole falls into the following, it’s worth checking:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are irregular in shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or irregular border
- Wcolors – melanomas are usually a mixture of two or more colors
- Ddiameter – most melanomas are usually more than 6 mm in diameter
- ANDexpansion or It iselevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be melanoma
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
