Shock moment horrified TV host is told he has skin cancer live on air by dermatologist guest
A FOX News television anchor was given a diagnosis of skin cancer while live on air.
Philly host Mike Jerrick, who co-anchors Good Day Philadelphia, was seen on air chatting to dermatologist, Dr. Joanna Walker in a recent instalment of the show.
The pair then discovered a likely-cancerous spot on Mike’s elbow after talking about the importance of checking moles.
Dr. Joanna, the dermatologist, who works with the Tara Miller Melanoma Center at the University of Pennsylvania, told the host that the spot on his arm had “all the features” pointing to skin cancer.
The doctor said: “So this is a basal cell skin cancer,” while pointing at Mike’s arm and the spot he had.
“That has all the features of the most common type of skin cancer,” Dr. Joanna added.
She reassured the host that the cancer is “very treatable” and is a “slow growing” type of skin cancer.
Dr. Joanna then told him that he would need to have the spot removed.
Mike replied: “What are you gonna do to it? Burn it off?”
Dr. Joanna responded: “This one probably needs to be cut and stitched.”
“What!?” Mike said, sounding shocked, adding, “and then stitch me up?”
“So this one is a very slow growing type of skin cancer,” Dr. Joanna continued.
“It’s not gonna spread to anywhere else on your body.
“But it needs to be removed so it doesn’t keep growing and taking over normal skin.”
Mike then added: “Oh, good lord.”
Speaking on Fox News, Mike then spoke about the shock he felt when he received the news that he likely had cancer.
Can you spot the cancerous moles from the harmless ones?
IF you've spotted a new mole or lingering mark on your skin, don't be too quick to dismiss it.
It’s important to know what your skin looks like normally, to helps you notice any unusual changes.
The ABCDE rule can be followed to assess the health of a mole.
If your mole falls into the following, it’s worth getting checked:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
Most melanomas don’t give you symptoms like pain or itching.
Meanwhile, some non-cancerous moles or abnormal patches of skin can be itchy.
So having some of these changes on their own doesn’t mean you definitely have melanoma, but you should still get it checked out.
There are two main types of skin cancer – non melanoma skin cancer and melanoma skin cancer.
Non-melanoma skin cancer includes:
- Basal cell skin cancer – this is also called basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell skin cancer – this is also called squamous cell carcinoma
There are a few different types of melanoma too:
- Superficial spreading melanoma
- Nodular melanoma
- Lentigo maligna melanoma
Find out more about distinguishing moles here.
“I did say that we should have had her bring her scope because I wanted to check out of couple of things on my arms.
“So that part was planned.
“But I never really thought it was going to be skin cancer,” he confessed.
Co-host Alex Holley then asked if he needed to make an appointment.
Dr. Joanna then advised that Mike should make an appointment swiftly.
Fans and viewers have since reacted to Mike’s skin cancer shock.
“Discovering that live must’ve been so intense! Stay strong,” said one person.
A second penned: “Good luck Mike with your skin cancer. Please get a body check annually with your dermatologist.”