I had part of my ear removed after tiny spot turned out to be skin cancer
A DAD has urged people to be more aware of the dangers of sun after a tiny spot on his ear turned out to be skin cancer.
Rob Lindsay was left with a huge 20cm scar after a five-hour operation to remove melanoma deposits in his neck.
The 51-year-old from Brisbane, Australia was told by his GP in September last year that the mark was “nothing serious”.
The IT consultant was referred to a dermatologist and a biopsy confirmed the freckle-like mark was a potentially-fatal melanoma lodged deep inside his skin.
Six months later doctors discovered more melanoma deposits in his neck.
Rob had to undergo an operation to remove the cancer and reconstruct his ear, with a second operation three weeks ago leaving him with 80 stitches, bruised nerves and a 20cm scar down his neck.
He said when he first noticed the pink spot on his right ear, both he and his wife Louise agreed it looked strange.
“It was a little bit weird and I hadn’t noticed anything there prior, so I went to the doctor straight away.
"When I showed the GP the spot he said it was probably nothing, but gave me a referral anyway.
“Five days after I saw the dermatologist, it came back positive for melanoma.
"Once it was confirmed as a deep melanoma, it became serious. It was shocking and pretty scary.
“When I got the diagnosis, I was worried the worst was going to happen.
"The thoughts of ‘how long have I got’ and ‘how old will my kids be when that potentially comes along’ went through my head”.
Skin cancer: what are the signs and symptoms
When it comes to skin cancer, NHS England says that it's important that if you notice a change in shape or size of a mole, freckle or skin patch, then you must consult your GP. Early detection of skin cancer makes it easy to treat.
What should I look out for?
- Colour: if the colour of a mole or freckle has changed and there is more than one shade on the area
- Symmetry: when two side of the are don't look the same
- Size: if the area grows larger
- Border: if the edges of the area are jagged or uneven
Other signs to be aware of include:
- if a spot or mole itches or hurts
- a mole or growth that bleeds, crusts or scabs
- a new growth that doesn't heal
As part of the first surgery a 2cm semi circle was removed from his ear as well as a crescent around the edge, he added that his right ear is now considerably smaller than the left.
“I had around 80 to 90 stitches for the second surgery in my neck – I knew it would be tough and painful.
“I think my kids were quite shocked at the scar because kids that age don’t really see that sort of wound with all the blood and the stitches and swelling.
“They haven’t got their heads around it yet - the shocking thing for them is the visual wound”.
Rob said he struggles now because of the way his ear looks and added that he went to the KFC drive-thru and people were unable to look him in the eye.
In 2018 Rob had suffered with a small basal cell carcinoma on his back and had to have it removed, so when he saw the spot on his ear he knew it was important to get it checked out quickly.
After his diagnosis the biopsy of his lymph node showed a 2mm deposit of melanoma inside, doctors sped up the two-hour surgery to remove the small spot, removing a 2cm semicircle from his ear and reconstructing it by joining the flesh left on the top of his ear together.
They also removed a lymph node in front of his ear to check whether the cancer had spread to his lymphatic system – confirming it had spread five days later.
Rob was put on a treatment plan to monitor it, with ultrasounds on his face and neck every three months, and PET scans on his whole body every six months.
An ultrasound and full body scan in December 2019 showed he was all clear, but a week before another ultrasound in March 2020, he felt an 10mm lump in his neck just below his jawline.
Just three weeks ago, Rob had a five-hour-long neck dissection surgery, where doctors made a large incision spanning from the top of his ear to the side of his neck to take out 19 lymph nodes.