Dr. Jose Lutzky is a medical oncologist specialized in advanced skin cancers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information about treatments and services for skin cancers, click here or visit the UHealth blog.
MEET DAVE HIRSCHMAN:
An active 44-year-old, David Hirschman got the shock of a lifetime after feeling nauseous for months.
āThey said, you have what they called Stage 4 cancer,ā says Dave.
David was sent to Jose Lutzky, M.D., a medical oncologist specialized in advanced skin cancers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, who diagnosed David with metastatic melanoma.
āDoctor, what is melanoma and can anyone get itā? asked anchor Pam Giganti.
āMelanoma is a cancer that starts in the cells of the skin that produce the pigment that give the color to the skin,ā Dr. Lutzky says. āAnyone can get melanoma, whether youāre very fair or not so fair.ā
Dr. Lutzky says sun exposure is the main cause and to check for any moles that are new or changing.
āIf theyāre getting larger, thicker, if theyāre itchy, if theyāre bleeding, if theyāre weeping secretions,ā says Dr. Lutzky.
But in some cases, like Davidās, melanoma can develop where youād least expect it.
āIt was related to a mass in his bowel,ā Dr. Lutzky says. āThey are what we call mucosal melanomas. Melanomas that start in areas where the sun never shines.ā
Sylvester, an NCI-designated cancer center, has access to hundreds of clinical trials. David was enrolled in a study using two immunotherapy drugs and his tumors began to disappear!
āAll but two had basically become non-detectable,ā David says.
David credits Dr. Lutzky and his team for getting him back to the life he enjoys.
āWhen you get that level of attention and care. Makes the world of difference,ā says David.
FOCUSING ON YOU
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