Mom found she had skin cancer under her fingernail – forcing doctors to amputate her finger –

A mother had to amputate her finger after doctors discovered that the brown streak on the nail was a rare form of skin cancer.

Elizabeth Misselbrook, 40, first noticed the suspicious stain on her finger in September 2019 and immediately made an appointment with her family doctor.

He was referred to a dermatologist who removed the nail on his left middle finger for the inconclusive test in April 2020.

His doctor told him not to worry and to come back three months later if the nail reappears.

But when the line got much darker and wider in December, he returned for another biopsy and was diagnosed with rare early-stage melanoma in May 2021.

Doctors said he had to remove part of his finger because the cancer started twice in the same finger.

Berkshire, Bracknell’s marketing manager, agreed, although he needed his finger to play the flute, fearing the cancer might come back more severely.

Subungual melanomas—the type of cancer it has—are incredibly rare and occur in only about one percent of skin cancers. They can spread to other parts of the body and can be fatal.

Although they differ from other melanomas in that they are not related to sun exposure, their cause is still a mystery to doctors.

Elizabeth Misselbrook, 40, of Bracknell, Berkshire, had her finger amputated by doctors after they discovered the brown streak on her fingernail was a rare form of skin cancer.

Miss Misselbrook first noticed the suspicious spot on her finger in September 2019 and immediately made an appointment with her GP.

Ms Misselbrook said: “Since there were two completely removed melanomas, they wanted to make sure it didn’t recur, so they amputated before the first joint.

“I was shocked when they told them to amputate, but I was really worried that I had two melanomas, so I really wanted them to make sure it wasn’t coming back.

“I resigned there. I have never felt sick and never been on any medication, so I felt grateful. I didn’t want to get sick.

‘I was worried about the long-term consequences of handwriting and flute playing. I wanted to pay for the flute, but I want to live more.’

When Miss Misselbrook first noticed the faint line in 2019, she went straight to her doctor because her doctor friend said it could be a sign of cancer.

Seven months later, she was referred to a dermatologist who removed her nail for biopsy, but tests did not reveal the cause of the blemish.

Three months later, when the line reappeared but had become much larger and darker as the pigment settled into the skin, she went back to her doctor.

The doctor got more worried this time and was referred again to a dermatologist, who did another biopsy.

I wasn’t too worried but said enough to make an appointment with the doctor. I didn’t wait. It didn’t itch, just a light brown streak.

“As it’s not a quick ‘take it out and see’ it takes time and weird marks on the nails, but it was changing and there was a feeling.

“In December 2020 the nail got longer and I saw a line again, so I went back to the GP and checked again. It was changing a lot.

“The dermatologist said he was suspicious and needed another biopsy. It was much bigger and darker and I was starting to worry.

“It had pigment going into the skin at the base of the nail, so I was a lot more worried because it had more sinister properties.”

This time, the biopsy revealed it was subungual melanoma of acral lentigo, a rare type of skin cancer that accounts for less than one percent of melanoma cases in fair-skinned people.

The rate is higher in people with darker skin, as the risk of sun-induced skin cancer is lower.

It looks like a faint line because it spreads when cells that produce melanin, the brown pigment in the skin, are activated by cancer.

Ms. Misselbrook said, “I was worried about the long-term consequences like handwriting and playing the flute. I wanted to pay for the flute, but I want more life.”

After the biopsy, doctors found that he had a lesion under his nail, which was diagnosed with a second melanoma, and they decided to operate.

Elizabeth said: “I wasn’t surprised but shocked when they told me I had melanoma. It was in my left hand and I’m left-handed and play the flute.

“I never felt like I was going to die because the surgeon was so confident that it was cancer, but since it was detected early, it was very treatable.

“I tried to stay calm and thought that’s what happened, I have to face it and it’s not fun. Many people struggle a lot more than I do and find it very difficult.’

Elizabeth has undergone hand therapy and is waiting for a prosthesis for her finger so she can continue playing the flute.

He speaks to raise awareness and encourage others to pay attention to their nails and check for suspicious signs as soon as possible.

“Check your nails, if you suspect anything won’t grow, you’ll get a bruise,” Elizabeth said.