For years, Magnus Bowles was convinced that the brown the size of a 50p on the sole of his left foot was the result of something that turned his skin.
But when a podiatrist happened to see it during a routine appointment in the early 2021, seven years after Magnus first noticed it, He was told that there was a big verruca (a wart on the foot) within the discolored area.
On the advice of the podiatrist, he used a freely available Verruca treatment ‘, but it was still a few months later, “remembers Magnus, 57, who lives in Farnham, Surrey, with his wife Analisa, 54, and their two teenage daughters.
Because it didn’t get better and he now had an open pain under his heel, Magnus showed it to his doctor who agreed that it was a Verruca. So he continued treatment. But without signs of improvement, Magnus, a dealer of the sports book, began to investigate online and discovered that his ‘Verruca’ was very similar to images of skin cancer.
He achieved an urgent appointment in the operation of his doctor, where a nurse agreed with his assessment: two months later, biopsies confirmed that his Verruca was actually a malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer and the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
Even worse that news would come: doctors discovered that it had already spread to the lymph nodes in his groin, making it an advanced stage three melanoma.
“To be honest, I expected the worst, especially because I had left it for so long to act – and also because of the damage that may have been caused by the freezing treatment,” says Magnus.
Magnus Bowles had stage three melanoma on his heel and needed surgery and immunotherapy. He is now cancer -free
The ‘Mark’ on the heel of Magnus that turned out to be cancer, this was told when it was told that it was a verruca
“In some respects I was just relieved that the cancer had no longer spread.”
Cases of malignant melanoma rise in the UK, and it is predicted that they will rise on average 19,300 a year between 2020 and 2022, to 21,300 cases this year – the highest registered, according to new figures released yesterday by Cancer Research UK.
The cancer is linked to sunburn – experiencing five or more sizzling sunburn between the ages of 15 and 20 increases the risk of melanoma by 80 percent, reports the American Academy of Dermatology.
Caring for new data that was published earlier this month by the Melanoma Focus charity charity, it turned out that an alarming 49 percent of the British suffers from sunburn at least once a year, increasing to 65 percent for 18 to 32-year-olds.
Like many people, Magnus had no idea that you could get melanoma on the base of your foot. “
“I also thought that melanomas started as a mole that changed over time and had specific characteristics that experts would easily recognize,” he says.
“But mine looked more like an oil or ink stain under my skin, and not in a place where I once thought the sun would influence me.”
After using the Verucca treatment, he had an open pain on his heel and it didn’t get better
Magnus had a rare form of malignant melanoma, acraal lentiginous melanoma, which usually appears on the palms, the soles or under the nails, and can look like an irregularly shaped black or brown patch – which may be considered for a blue or fungal infection.
They are most common in people with dark skin.
Bob Marley died famous at the age of 36 of this type of melanoma, which appeared under his toenail and eventually spread.
When he was diagnosed in 1977, doctors ordered a tanamutation, but he refused and instead had removed the nail and part of the skin around it. In 1980 doctors discovered that the cancer had spread and died in 1981.
In general, this type of melanoma is slowly growing and related to genes instead of sun damage, although sun exposure can play a role and experts warn that feet are often neglected when it comes to protecting the sun and checking on moles.
“Many people apply diligent sunscreen to their faces, shoulders and legs, because those areas are more clearly exposed to the sun, but overlook their feet, especially between the toes and on the soles,” Dr. explains. Angela Tewari, a consultant dermatologist at King’s College Hospital in London.
“Yet these areas are still vulnerable to harmful UV radiation.”
Magnus needed a diameter of a surface and 1 cm deep away near the sole of his left heel
Skin cancers can not only be more difficult to recognize at these ‘hidden’ locations, but they are also often mistaken for warts, calluses, fungal infections or bruises.
“This delay can lead to poorer prognosis, especially with aggressive cancers such as melanoma,” says Dr. Tewari, who is also located in the Lister Hospital in London.
People can be postponed to apply sunscreen to their feet because they don’t want it on their sandals or because it feels uncomfortable between their toes, Dr. Tewari, which recommends applying a minimum of SPF 30 or higher in all areas of the feet, including between the toes, the sides of the feet and the ankles.
Other experts also recommend applying it to the soles of the feet.
“When people on their stomach sink with their soles, it is a lot of sun exposure without realizing it,” says Dr. Adil Sheraz, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London and spokesperson for the British Skin Foundation.
You can also be exposed to UV of reflective surfaces, such as water and glass.
“It would never come to mind to put sunscreen on my foot,” says Magnus. Although he is regularly on vacation in Italy, he is not a tanner – the only explanation he can think is that when he swims his feet ‘looks up in the swimming pool’. The sole of the foot does not always burn that much, so you may not be aware of the amount of sun damage that happens, Dr. Sheraz, who says he has removed pre-cancer-like or cancer-like birthmarks from the patients.
“Moles can also be found under toeails and on the soles of the feet, and they can all be cancers,” he says. “These things are often spotted when someone has a pedicure,” warns Dr. Bernard Ho, a consultant dermatologist at the St George’s Hospital in London and spokesperson for the British Association of Dermatologists.
The experts advise you to examine your feet every month, including soles, between the toes and under toeails, to check for new growths, changes in existing birthmarks, persistent ulcers that do not heal or unusual discoloration.
“Many cancers don’t look like Mol at all and instead they can come forward as a whole new tumors,” says Dr. Tewari.
Use a mirror to be difficult to see areas and consult your general practitioners or dermatologist if you are concerned about changes.
Doctors have never made clear whether Magnus has ever had a Verruca, but these and warts must also be investigated, says Dr. Ho.
“If it doesn’t go away or if it is painful, bleed or swear, see a doctor, because, although rare, it can change something worrying,” he adds.
Another, although less aggressive, type of skin cancer – squamous cell carcinoma – can develop in areas of chronic inflammation, such as those where warts have long been present, or where warts have been treated aggressively, he explains.
Depending on the cancer size, treatment can include toe -amputation, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Magnus needed a diameter of a surface and removed 1 cm deep near the sole of his left heel. During his operation in March 2022, two lymph nodes in his groin were also removed when a scan signs of cancer showed. Recovery was ‘very tough’, he says, while the great wound made walking difficult. The healing slowly and he had immunotherapy a year after the operation – finally the treatment in October 2023.
“Once we knew what was happening, we kept our girls in the picture and it was frightening for them, and Analisa who had to face the horrible prospect to take care of the children only if I did not recover,” says Magnus. ‘
Magnus now has brain scans and scans of his body every six months every three months to check on cancer. He also regularly sees a dermatologist.
“I have had a few birthmarks removed, but luckily none of them is cancer -like,” he explains.
‘But as a result of the fact that the lymph nodes are removed, I was left with lymphoedema [swelling caused by a damage to the lymphatic system, which transports fluid around the body] In my left leg, which means that it is about 20 percent larger than my right leg. I usually wear a stocking to try to control it.
“As a family, we are now much more aware of the use of a lot of sunscreen and we started with our birthmarks to be checked every six months by a dermatologist – you can’t be too careful.”
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