SALISBURY, N.C. — Cale Banks, a surgical nursing manager at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, said he received a diagnosis last year that took him by surprise.
“My wife found something between my shoulder blades, and I mean, who looks between their shoulder blades?” Banks said.
Soon after discovering the mark, he asked a colleague and friend at work to look at it.
“He said, 'you be in my office tomorrow afternoon, we’re going to take this thing off and send it to pathology,'” he said.
Within days, Banks says he received his result on his online portal. It read, “skin excision, right upper back. Malignant melanoma.”
Banks said this diagnosis came by surprise.
Melanoma can go undetected for more than a decade. Symptoms include asymmetrical moles, color variation marks on the body, surface change and evolving moles that grow over time.
The National Cancer Institute reports that North Carolina ranks 17th in the country for cases of malignant melanoma, a cancer that develops on the skin.
“I never thought I would ever [have cancer]," he said. "I was healthy, I felt fine. I never thought I would ever be a cancer patient. Never thought I would ever walk into a cancer center as a patient,” Banks added.
His treatment plan consisted of a procedure to remove the cancer cells and lymph nodes to determine whether the cancer had spread. He had also undergone a year of immunotherapy treatments.
“At four millimeters deep is when lymph nodes or lymph system involvement is typically possible. Mine went three millimeters deep, so I was a millimeter away from it being a potentially different ball game,” Banks said.
Banks credits his team of providers, who swiftly provided him a diagnosis and treatment plan that he admits not everyone has immediate access to.
“You know if I tried to find a dermatologist that I didn’t know and figure out, hey, when can I get an appointment, and oh yeah, we can see you in six months. OK — six months. What would have happened in six months?" he said. "Would it have gone down another millimeter?”
Now, Banks said he not only uses sunscreen, but applies it as directed. He encourages others to do the same and report any abnormal marks on your skin to a dermatologist or primary care physician.