Key scalp warning signs that could indicate deadly cancer (original) (raw)

Melanoma, which are cancerous moles, can pop up in unexpected areas of the body that have little or no exposure to the sun. Those areas can include spaces between the toes and on the palms, soles, scalp or genitals

Sarah Lee noticed "satellite" moles over the space of several months. and was told by the health professional it was "impossible" to get skin cancer on the scalp because hair prevents sun’s ultraviolet rays getting through

Melanoma may be difficult to spot for some, including one woman who discovered the mole on her scalp was deadly.

Melanoma, which are cancerous moles, can pop up in unexpected areas of the body that have little or no exposure to the sun. Those areas can include spaces between the toes and on the palms, soles, scalp or genitals, according to the Mayo Clinic. Those sneaky moles are sometimes referred to as hidden melanomas because they occur in places most people wouldn't think to check.

This is similar to what happened to BBC News journalist Sarah Lee, who discovered a dark spot on her scalp while dying her hair. She writes that she spoke to her doctor about it and the "fungus" which had appeared and was told not to worry about it. Sarah, 29, then noticed "satellite" moles over the space of several months. and was told by the health professional it was "impossible" to get skin cancer on the scalp because hair prevents sun’s ultraviolet rays getting through, she wrote.

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Melanoma is a cancer that starts in melanocyte cells of the skin. Melanocytes are cells that make melanin, which give your skin its color (

Image:

Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

She was also told she was "too young" to have skin cancer, but when she got a second opinion she discovered the mole was melanoma. She was later given the serious diagnosis that she had stage three malignant nodular melanoma. Dr Harvey Lui, a dermatological oncologist at BC Cancer, says melanoma on the scalp is unusual it shows skin cancer can emerge anywhere.

"It can occur on the soles of your feet, it can occur inside your mouth, and that's not an area that gets a lot of sunlight." Lui, a professor of dermatology and skin science at University of British Columbia said: "Wherever you have skin, there's a possibility that melanoma could develop at that site."

According to the Mayo Clinic, melanoma is a cancer that starts in melanocyte cells of the skin. Melanocytes are cells that make melanin, which give your skin its color. There are four of melanoma, including superficial spreading melanoma and nodular melanoma.

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"When those cells become cancerous, they seem to have a higher chance of spreading locally or spreading through the bloodstream or spreading through the lymphatics to other parts of the body so it's for that reason that we consider melanoma to be the most serious of all skin cancers," Lui said.

Anyone can be affected by melonoma no matter what sex, age, or race they are. Risk factors, experts say, include family history, excessive exposure to sun and having light skin, eyes and hair. To reduce chances of melanoma and other types of skin cancer experts recommend avoiding tanning beds, avoiding the sun during the middle of the day, wearing protective clothing such as dark, tightly woven clothes over your legs and arms, and wearing sunscreen year-round, the Mayo Clinic said.