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The American Cancer Society estimates that 97,610 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States during 2023.
Of the 97,610 new cases that are waiting to be diagnosed, they believe that 58,120 will be in men and 39,490 in women.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 7,990 people die from melanomas in the United States.
An American patient identified as 26-year-old Helen Bender has discovered that she had a lump on her neck thanks to a beauty trick that went viral on the TikTok social network. The patient was diagnosed with stage four skin cancer after performing the TikTok hack.
The young woman’s life was saved thanks to the thousand-year-old Gua Sha technique, which has become a trend on the TikTok social network as a great skincare tool.
What is Guasha?
According to Vanity Fair, Gua Sha is a face and neck massage that is performed with carved stones that mold to the shape of the face that helps to drain the skin, improve its circulation and release tension, creating a rejuvenating effect.
The technique that saved his life
According to what was reported by other media, the patient decided to try the viral TikTok trick to stimulate facial circulation with the Gua Sha technique. While the young woman massaged her neck with the stone, she suddenly found a lump on the left side of her jaw.
The young woman was scared and went to the doctor, where she underwent a series of tests and finally received the most unexpected diagnosis, she had a type of cancer known as stage four melanoma.
Thanks to the TikTok trick, the patient discovered that in addition to the cancer in her neck, she had 20 other tumors throughout her body. The doctors did not give him much hope, although they began to give him strong treatment and his body reacted by allowing his tumors to shrink.
Fortunately, the immunotherapy treatment has been favorable for the patient and although she still has a long way to go to fully recover, she has decided to share her story through social networks.
@helenbender Quite the rollercoaster but I’m not going anywhere!!! #cancer #cancersucks @Zedd @Cameron Carley @Rosco’s Tacos @Virginia Bender ♬ Surrender – Natalie Taylor
What is the treatment for stage IV melanomas like?
According to the American Cancer Society, In recent years, the treatment of melanomas that have spread widely has changed as newer forms of immunotherapy and targeted drugs have been shown to be more effective than chemotherapy.
Immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors are usually the first drugs tried, especially in people whose cancer cells do not have BRAF gene changes. These drugs can shrink tumors for long periods of time in some people. Some options could include:
- Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or nivolumab (Opdivo)
- Nivolumab in conjunction with relatlimab (Opdualag)
- Nivolumab or pembrolizumab, along with ipilimumab (Yervoy)
Combinations of checkpoints may be more effective, although they are also more likely to result in serious side effects.
@helenbender TW: Large tumor and very unflattering photos of me 🙂 #cancer #immunotherapy #dermatologist #doctorsoftiktok #skincare #sunscreen ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic
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