Advertisement
Home REAL LIFE

Biting my nails caused CANCER

Gold Coast student Courtney needed a thumb amputation.
Caters

A university student has had to have her thumb amputated after developing a rare form of skin cancer caused by biting her nails. 

Advertisement

Courtney Whithorn, now 20, developed the nervous habit after being bullied โ€“ and bit her thumb nail clean off in 2014.

Despite โ€˜freaking outโ€™ when her thumb started to turn black, the embarrassed teen kept it hidden from friends and family for four years.

Coutney's nail biting habit led to a cancer diagnosis
Coutneyโ€™s nail biting habit led to a cancer diagnosis (Credit: Caters)

But the psychology student had caused such major trauma to her nail bed that it developed into a rare cancer โ€“ acral lentiginous subungual melanoma.

Advertisement

Since her shock diagnosis in July, Courtney has had to have four surgeries. Despite attempts to save her thumb, Courtneyโ€™s fourth surgery which took place last week saw the digit completely removed.

Courtney, from the Gold Coast, said: โ€˜When I found out that biting my nail off was the cause of the cancer it shattered me.

โ€˜In my head I thought โ€˜Iโ€™ve done this to myselfโ€™ but obviously I knew I shouldnโ€™t have that mentality. I couldnโ€™t believe it.

โ€˜When you think about it how many kids bite their nails itโ€™s crazy it came to that.

Advertisement

โ€˜I bit the nail off four years ago and I was obviously very self-conscious of how black it was.

โ€˜My hand was just constantly in a fist because I didnโ€™t want anyone to see it โ€“ not even my parents. 

โ€˜I got a bit freaked out when my skin started to go black so I showed them for the first time this year.โ€™

Courtney says she was shattered when she discovered her diagnosis
Courtney says she was shattered when she discovered her diagnosis (Credit: Caters)
Advertisement

After Courtneyโ€™s second surgery to remove her nail bed, she had a PET scan to produce a detailed 3D image of the inside of her thumb and no more cancerous cells were found.

But panic arose when just a week after thinking she had the all clear, specialists in Sydney told Courtneyโ€™s surgeon that the protocol for her form of melanoma is amputation.

The surgeon decided to first perform a third surgery, creating a wider incision in Courtneyโ€™s thumb to remove any more malignant cells โ€“ but that operation only confirmed the need to amputate.

Part-time receptionist Courtney, who is still recovering from her amputation, said:  โ€˜I had a panic attack at work, I read the word โ€˜amputationโ€™ and ran outside โ€“ I couldnโ€™t breathe.

Advertisement

โ€˜My mum had to come to my work, my boss was tying my hair up and wafting my shirt. I freaked out โ€“ weโ€™d never even spoken about amputation.

โ€˜We went and saw a melanoma specialist who also agreed that amputation was protocol because this was such a rare cancer.โ€™

She has now had her thumb amputated
She has now had her thumb amputated (Credit: Caters)

Courtneyโ€™s passion for writing is going to be affected a lot now she has had her thumb amputated from above the knuckle. 

Advertisement

The student has also had to defer her studies at Griffiths University to recover.

โ€˜Iโ€™m still waiting for that set of results from the surgery last week and if itโ€™s clear then the surgeon watches me for the next five years and I get regular scans and bloods,โ€™ she said.

โ€˜Thereโ€™s not enough research to say what the survival rate is or what the likelihood of it coming back is because โ€“ we just donโ€™t know much about it. Iโ€™ve just cried every time itโ€™s been brought up. 

โ€˜The location of the cancer in my thumb is unknown so if it still shows up then theyโ€™re just going to have to keep cutting away until we get a clear result.โ€™

Advertisement

WHAT IS ACRAL LENTIGINOUS MELANOMA?

  • Acral lentiginous melanomas are a rare type of melanoma that usually occur on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. They can also sometimes develop around a nail, most commonly the thumbnail or big toenail.
  • Acral lentiginous melanomas are the most common type of melanoma in people with dark skin, but they can occur in people with any skin type.
  • Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body.
  • Melanoma is caused by skin cells that begin to develop abnormally. 
  • Certain things can increase your chances of developing melanoma, such as having lots of moles or freckles, pale skin that burns easily, red or blonde hair, or a close family member whoโ€™s had melanoma.
  • The main treatment for melanoma is surgery, although your treatment will depend on your circumstances.
  • If melanoma is diagnosed and treated at an early stage, surgery is usually successful.

This article originally appeared on New Idea.

Related stories


Advertisement
Advertisement