Tyler Blevins, the video game superstar known as Ninja, revealed this week that he had been diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Mr Blevins, 32, he said on social media on Tuesday that a mole was removed from his leg during an annual checkup with a dermatologist a few weeks ago.
“It came back as melanoma, but they’re optimistic we caught it in the early stages,” he said.
In the post, Mr Blevins said a second dark spot had been found on his leg, which had also been removed and was being checked, “with the hope that under the microscope they’ll see clear edges with no melanomas and we’ll know we have it.”
His massive online following led to a crossover appearance in 2019, disguised as a character called ‘Ice Cream’, on the Fox competition show ‘The Masked Singer’. In 2018, he played Fortnite with Ellen DeGeneres on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
Skin cancer is common and often survivable. Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, which are the most common types of skin cancer, can cause disfigurement but are rarely fatal.
Melanoma accounts for only about 1 percent of all diagnosed skin cancers, but causes the vast majority of skin cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimated that doctors would diagnose about 100,640 new melanomas — about 59,170 in men and 41,470 in women — in the United States this year, and that about 8,290 people would die as a result.
The risk increases with age, and fair skin is also an important risk factor for melanoma. Early diagnosis can lead to effective treatment.
The average age of those diagnosed is 66. But melanoma is among the most common cancers in young adults, especially young women, between the ages of 20 and 39, according to the American Cancer Society.
William Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, said Wednesday that a melanoma found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet or under the nails “is a rare type.” He suggested people use sunscreen and check their skin often and consult a dermatologist if anything suspicious is found.
“It’s good to have a partner look at your back and the soles of your feet in a well-lit room or with a handheld light,” she said.
Mr Blevins said he would use his diagnosis to raise awareness of skin cancer.
“I’m grateful to hopefully find this early,” he said in his post, “but please take this as a PSA to do skin tests.”
