Mom credits TikTok video for life-saving cancer diagnosis after spotting strange nail marking
A TikTok video played a key role in one mother s cancer finding after it prompted her to see a specialist regarding a strange marking on her fingernail SWNS informed Lauren Koltcz from North Royalton Ohio noticed a brown line on her left thumbnail but thought it was caused by a vitamin deficiency I had this nagging feeling it was something more than a vitamin deficiency she reported TROUBLING CANCER TRENDS YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT IN When the brown line became thicker the mother of two spoke to her nurse practitioner who commented it could be a fungal infection I put specific fungal medication on my thumb but it didn't do anything she explained as SWNS broadcasted Then in February Koltcz noticed the line spreading across her nail I started researching online and uncovered selected TikTok videos from dermatologists she recalled RARE SPINAL CANCER TUMOR REMOVED THROUGH CLIENT S EYE AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITALIn one video a dermatologist implored those with brown lines on their nails to see a clinical professional Koltcz booked an appointment at Cleveland Clinic where doctors took a biopsy of the brown area The next day she got a call from her physician Alison Vidimos MD who revealed they needed to do a biopsy I was concerned because the pigmentation on her nail was very dark there were different shades of brown and the spot was wider than millimeters declared Vidimos who is chairman emeritus of Cleveland Clinic s Department of Dermatology TERMINAL COLON CANCER VICTIM SAVED BY BREAKTHROUGH TREATMENTThe biopsy results came back four days later I just couldn t believe it Everybody knows someone who s had cancer and now I was one of them Koltcz mentioned The results revealed that Koltcz had subungual melanoma a skin cancer that develops under the nail but they had caught it at stage meaning the melanoma was only in the top layer of the skin Subungual melanoma nail melanoma is a serious and rare type of skin cancer accounting for to of all melanomas worldwide according to Cleveland Clinic For more Wellbeing articles visit www foxnews com healthIt can impact any nail and discoloration doesn t invariably occur which is why it's so vital to take note of any nail changes When this type of cancer is caught early there's over a survival rate Vidimos reported in a press release from Cleveland Clinic But if it s neglected and not diagnosed at an early stage it can spread to the lymph nodes and make healing more challenging Nail melanomas are often diagnosed late according to the medical practitioner because people don t think about checking their nails CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR WELLBEING NEWSLETTERPrompt surgery removed Koltcz s cancer and specific of the tissue around the area to ensure that no cancer cells remained While she now shows no evidence of cancer Koltcz will have regular follow-ups with her dermatologist I just kept thinking How lucky am I that I caught it in time and had such great doctors to treat it '
