There is a reason why experts ask you to report any suspicious changes in your body. Especially, if the changes in your body are physical and clearly evident. This tragic story of a manual labourer who ignored a skin lesion is proof that things can go wrong in the most unexpected ways. The lesion grew into a five-inch dragon horn sticking out of his back and medics found out that it is cancerous.

The 50-year-old man did not discuss the visible symptom with any expert until the "enormous", "cutaneous horn" grew to 14cm in length and 5.8cm in width, after which the anonymous man contacted the medics. However, fortunately for the man, cancer hadn't spread to other parts. The doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital found that despite the slow growth of the tumour, cancer hadn’t spread to any other part of the patient’s body. Moreover, he hadn't received any treatment for that so it was no less than a miracle. The tumour was removed under general anaesthetic, and the large hole was sealed using a skin graft from his thigh, according to the Mirror. The British Medical Journal reported the man was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

They wrote in the Journal: "We report a rare case of an extremely large well-differentiated SCC that was neglected by a patient living in a developed country with access to free healthcare. This highlights that despite current public skin cancer awareness and rigorous healthcare measures, cases like this can still arise and slip through the net."

Symptoms of Melanoma

Fortunately, the sign of Melanoma is visible. The first sign is a new spot on the skin. However, if you already have a mole you might see a change in the size, shape or colour of it. The ABCDE method is quite popular in determining whether abnormal skin growth may be melanoma:

  • Asymmetry: The mole has an irregular shape.

  • Border: The edge is not smooth, but irregular or notched.

  • Colour: The mole has uneven shading or dark spots.

  • Diameter: The spot is larger than the size of a pencil eraser.

  • Elevation: The spot is changing in size, shape or texture.

The causes of skin cancers can be many but the most common one is the exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. One must always protect themselves from the harmful UV rays from sunlight or tanning beds. They can damage and alter your skin's DNA and increase the risk of cancer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2019 03:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).