Key points from today’s guests:

Kyle Mead, melanoma spread to heart

• Kyle's persistent cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pains went undiagnosed nearly 18 years after his initial skin cancer diagnosis.
• Every time he went to the ER at another facility, he was told it was acid reflux or the result of being out of shape.
• When Kyle later collapsed in front of his mother, they went to The University of Kansas Health System, where they got a correct diagnosis of metastatic skin cancer in his heart.
• Kyle was diagnosed with melanoma that had metastasized to his heart, and doctors discovered a mutation that improved his prognosis.
• Kyle is now on targeted therapy – taking 12 pills per day – and feels better, with the tumor no longer showing up on scans.
• He credits his doctors for giving him extra time with his family and was amazed at the number of teams who were dedicated to caring for him.

Dr. Gary Doolittle, medical oncologist, The University of Kansas Cancer Center

• Melanomas are a different type of cancer in that the majority of patients who see recurrence, see it within three or four years of the initial diagnosis.
• The fact that Kyle’s showed up 14-15 years later is unusual, but it's also kind of characteristic of melanoma in that you can see these late recurrences.
• We think it was probably Kyle’s own immune system that was keeping things at bay and holding things back, but at some point the melanoma breaks through and travels through the bloodstream or through the lymphatics and then spreads that way.
• About half the people who have skin cancers like Kyle's have this mutation that produces a protein and there are medicines designed to neutralize that protein, which will stop the growth of the cancer.
• We started with immunotherapy hoping that that would get it under control. And it quickly proved unacceptable and then we switched out to specialized pills.
• Routine skin checks are an important part of wellness. Also use the right sun protection. The first Monday in May is Melanoma Monday.

Dr. Trip Zorn, thoracic surgeon, The University of Kansas Health System

• Tumors around the heart are uncommon.
• Kyle’s tumor was close to vital structures like the pulmonary artery and encased the left lung, causing compression and concern for metastasis.
• The tumor was the size of a softball and because of its location and how it was encasing the heart, surgery was too risky.
• Particularly for melanoma, radiation can be very helpful to control symptoms, but it's not really the best way to try to control this disease. It's either immunotherapy or targeted pills. His pill medication was able to prove successful in reducing the tumor.
• Kyle’s case is a great success story because of the results and the collaboration among teams. This was not totally about surgery. We were able to work with really smart, talented people all across the board to save Kyle.

Friday, May 3 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. One man had no clue that blood was getting stuck in his head until the day he suffered a stroke. Learn more about the best possible stroke care plus the defect in his arteries that put him at risk.

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