Khloe Kardashian details skin cancer scare, urges fans to check themselves

Khloe Kardashian is getting serious about skin cancer.

The forthright “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star took a break on Tuesday from updating app-users on her workout routines and cookie-jar organizing tips to share her history with the disease. In a candid update about her experiences, she hoped that her story would get readers to visit their doctors if they noticed something wrong with their skin.

“I have moles everywhere, and a couple years ago, I noticed one growing under my breast,” she wrote. “I immediately looked it up online and found out that if a mole is growing and changing shape, you should go to the doctor — so I did. They took the whole thing out, and they biopsied it.”

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »

That particular mole was benign, as many of the others she’s had checked have been.

“However, there was one mole I had on my back that was skin cancer. I had 8 inches of skin removed. It was definitely painful because it was a lot of skin, but most of the time, the removals haven’t been that bad,” the 32-year-old added.

The process has made her “extra aware” of her skin, body and moles and prompted her to share the “ABCDEs” of Melanoma — a handy chart for checking the asymmetry, border, color, diameter and evolution of skin moles — and urged fans to check themselves frequently.

“I haven’t had a problem in years, but wanted to share my experience with you so that if you notice something doesn’t look right, you will take action and take care of your health!” she wrote.

Diane Keaton, Hugh Jackman and Kenny Rogers are among the celebs who’ve spoken publicly about their own skin cancers. Jackman has had multiple incidences of basal cell carcinoma; Keaton has had basal and squamous cell cancers.

Malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is diagnosed in more than 76,000 new patients annually and claims the lives of 10,000 Americans a year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, and its incidence is growing faster than that of any other preventable cancer. More than 5 million cases of basal and squamous cell carcinomas, which are less fatal but can cause disfiguration and metastasize to other parts of the body if left untreated, are diagnosed each year.

“Dermatologists know that skin cancer screenings can save lives,” the American Academy of Dermatologists said in a statement after the effectiveness of screenings came into question last month.

“We know that screenings, which are noninvasive, quick and painless, are the best tool possible to detect skin cancer early when it is most treatable,” the academy said.

Follow me: @NardineSaad

ALSO

Are skin-cancer checks by doctors worth the trouble?

Shannen Doherty’s breast cancer has spread, she says