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“I am so committed to this and becoming a spokesperson for melanoma that, in fact, I have melanoma,” Martin said Thursday morning. “I will be treated with surgery this coming week to remove melanoma in situ.”
Martin said he will undergo minor surgery with a local anesthetic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Tuesday. He said he does not expect to stay at the hospital overnight.
Martin said his diagnosis and treatment will not affect his work as mayor in “any way, shape or form.”
“I’m going to be fine because it was caught early,” he said, adding that the melanoma is very treatable.
Martin said he visited his dermatologist at the end of last year for a spot on his face that started to appear irregular. His doctor conducted a biopsy and informed him of the diagnosis in early January, he said.
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer when radiation from sunshine or tanning beds trigger mutations, causing skin cells to quickly multiply and form malignant tumors. If it is treated early, “it is almost always curable,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Martin said he received some bad sunburns when he worked as a lifeguard in Kansas City during his teen years. To prevent burns like his, he has taken steps to protect himself from the sun and hopes that others will do the same.
The mayor’s announcement comes during National Cancer Prevention Month.
Officials at the event encouraged residents to use proper sun protection. They said residents should use hats, sunglasses and sunscreen of 30 SPF or higher to protect themselves from the sun.
Martin said that his fair Northern European skin may have made him more susceptible to melanoma, but everyone — regardless of skin type — should take steps to protect themselves from the sun.
“You don’t want to be the exception,” he said.
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