The broadcaster has spoken about his health in his latest column for The Guardian
The broadcaster has spoken about his health in his latest column for The Guardian
Adrian Chiles has revealed he was diagnosed with skin cancer. The broadcaster has shared the health update in his latest column for The Guardian.
The former Match of the Day 2 presenter said he recently underwent surgery to remove an unusual patch of skin on his shoulder, which a biopsy later confirmed to be squamous cell carcinoma. In the column, which was published yesterday, the 58-year-old spoke about his visit to the dermatologist, who looked at the mark on Adrian’s shoulder.
He said: “I distinctly heard the word ‘carcinoma’ in there somewhere. He said I’d have to come back and have it taken out, and then they would see whether or not it was a carcinoma.
“Great. ‘When? We’ll write to you’, he said. I suggested that, if cancer was a possibility, then a bit of hurry-up might be called for. To which he said, ‘Oh, it won’t make any difference now’.
“The only thing that would have made any difference was if you’d come sooner.’ To me, this sentence argued against itself somewhat. Time was either of the essence, or it wasn’t.
“I even flirted with the idea of interpreting ‘won’t make any difference now’ as his way of saying I was doomed anyway.” He added: “I called the dermatologist I had previously seen about it privately, and she told me not to be silly, it would be fine.
“A GP I know said the same. I thanked my lucky stars that I’m privileged to have access to such people.” The broadcaster said he was back seeing the same doctor two weeks later.
He said: “This time, he said he was pretty sure it was cancer – a carcinoma, whatever. All I wanted was for him to stop saying worrying things and just get on with it, scalpel in hand, and dig the b*****d thing out. Which he did.”
Adrian then had to recover and the wound required stitches for 10 days. The presenter spoke about the anxiety he felt while waiting for the biopsy results, which were made available via an app called Patients Know Best.
He admitted navigating NHS appointments and digital systems added to his stress, but in the end, the results were reassuring. He said: “By now I wanted to flush my phone down the toilet. This crap masquerades as communication, but communication is either two-way or it’s nothing.”
Adrian ended his column on a positive note as he confirmed the mark was a squamous cell carcinoma. He added: “All removed and won’t spread.
“So not nothing, but not serious. Needs keeping an eye on. Whatever, I don’t care, because I now have this skin cancer nurse’s email. The human contact feels as good as any treatment or cure.”
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