A skin specialist has warned of one of the subtlest signs of skin cancer — after spotting the unusual mark on her husband’s toenail.
David Edges, 52, from Solihull, wasn’t concerned when a faint line appeared on one of his toenails in May 2022, but it rang alarm bells for his wife Kelly.
The 47-year-old cosmetics expert had taken a course about nail conditions during her training back in the late 1990s and remembered that changes like a line could hint at something more sinister.
She insisted her husband get checked by a doctor, who did not express any major concern, but simply advised him to ‘keep an eye’ on the nail.
Kelly insisted that the couple get a second opinion from another GP — who told them the problem was likely to be a fungal issue.
However, over time the line on the nail appeared to become increasingly thicker, which indicated to Kelly that her instinct was right.
The couple insisted on having a biopsy taken, which ultimately spotted melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — in the tissue under his toenail.
Specifically, David had developed subungual melanoma — a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer that develops under the nail.
David Edges was twice told that his strange toenail mark was nothing serious by doctors.
‘It’s awful to hear the words melanoma,’ said Kelly.
‘I first noticed the line in May 2022 and it rang alarm bells.
‘Doctors are great at quick referrals for changes in moles on the body but because subungual melanomas are so rare, there didn’t seem to be a lot of concern for his toe.’
Studies suggest that this type of the disease accounts for just 1-3 per cent of all melanomas.
There are also many different forms of skin cancer, with melanoma the fifth most common.
‘David was happy to go with the professional’s advice, but I wasn’t happy,’ Kelly said.
‘I kept an eye on it and the following October I noticed the line was wider and had darkened in colour but a second GP said it was likely to be fungal.
‘I felt very frustrated at this point so we booked a private appointment.’
The paid-for consultant thoroughly checked David’s toenails and asked for photographs to see how the line had changed.
‘I’d taken two spaced 17 months apart, and she acknowledged that there was in fact a change.
The dark line on his toenail eventually widened to measure around 3mm.
Thankfully, the disease was confined to the upper layer of skin and following an operation, David was given the all clear.
‘The line was over 3 mm in width.’
Following a biopsy, he was finally given the diagnosis.
Thankfully, the cancer is confined to the top layer of skin, the epidermis, and has not spread elsewhere.
David underwent a procedure to remove all the cancerous cells, with a skin graft taken from his thigh added to the area to give a healthy margin of skin.
Kelly added: ‘We didn’t tell our children until David got the all-clear as he didn’t want to worry them.
‘He’s been very private during appointments and biopsies, but now he has the all-clear he feels it’s important to let people know the warning signs.
‘We don’t want to scare people with this but just want to emphasise the importance of finding cancer early.
‘Now, his toe is healing nicely and we’re going on a family ski holiday in April.’
Kelly has gone on to train with Skcin, a UK-based charity dedicated to the prevention and early detection of skin cancer.
