Photographer Stuart Munro having treatment for skin cancer. Photo / Stuart Munro
Photographer Stuart Munro having treatment for skin cancer. Photo / Stuart Munro
When Stuart Munro was told some tiny wounds on his skin might be cancer, his world fell in.
Absolutely unsure whether or not those small lesions were cancerous or didn't matter. His GP had uttered the "C" word and that was it.
Fortunately, after some quick and incisive treatment, his worst fears vanished but still Stuart's story is a salutary one.
It started out as a small sore on his foot and after a year or two he decided to get it checked. As soon as his doctor saw it he said it was probably a skin cancer.
"I won't lie. I shat myself because I'd heard the dreaded word 'cancer'," Stuart, a Wanganui Chronicle photographer, said.
He could have had any number of treatments including applying a cream to the affected area, have it sprayed with liquid nitrogen or have the affected area cut out.
"I opted to have it cut out. I just wanted it out of me," he said.
In the end medical staff cut out four spots. But those incisions were enough to have Stuart worried that every little spot on his body was a potential skin cancer.
Stuart said his experience was about understanding what skin cancer is and getting checks done as early as possible.
"As kids we all did things like go to the local baths, have a swim and then lie on the warm concrete to dry off. Or we'd spend a day at the beach swimming.
"We didn't do the slip, slop, slap with sunscreen back then either. So this isn't damage I did last year. This is damage created years ago.
"The sun in this country is absolutely lethal," he said.
You wouldn't notice where the incisions have been made in Stuart's face to remove the lesions. Within a couple of weeks there was nothing to see.
Unless you go to a surgeon, treatment is free through your GP who can access special government funding.
Stuart's treatment covered a two month period, which included biopsies on the lesions before they were removed.
His advice after his experience?: "Don't get over-paranoid like I did but get those marks checked out. If you're not sure go and see your doctor."
Stuart has his skin cancer cut out. Photo / Stuart Munro.
He said understanding skin cancer was the thing that had helped him the most but that had to come from the doctors and nurses.
"Don't do what I did and ask 'Dr Google'. Go see your doctor."
Dr Raja Hingorani said skin cancers can be described as melanomas or non-melanomas.
In non-melanomas there are two main types of cancers - SCC and BCC. They stand for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma.
Dr Hingorani said if somebody noticed a new mole on their body then they should get it checked out with the GP.
Sometimes people would notice what appears to be a little wound that isn't healing up and again that was something they should be cautious of and get it checked out.
There were various treatments available. It could mean an incision to remove the lesion, anti-cancer medication, spraying the area with liquid nitrogen, or radiotherapy. It came down to how significant the cancer was.
"If you suspect you've got a cancer or a wound that appears and doesn't seem to be going away, the most important thing you can do is get it checked out by your doctor," Dr Hingorani said.
