Melanoma Dangers During S/M Play

by Jay Wiseman © 1994, author of the books "SM 101: A Realistic Introduction" and 
"Jay Wiseman's Erotic Bondage Handbook"}

  
Note: For more information, visit the Submissive Women Kvetch website 
at  http://members.aol.com/oldrope/  and the Greenery Press website at  
http://www.greenerypress.com 

This article is being written as a fairly urgent public health warning to the SM community and to appropriate others. It concerns a potentially life-threatening aspect of SM play that is largely unknown. This article is being sent to numerous SM clubs, leather stores, SM professionals, and related others. It is also being posted on appropriate computer bulletin boards and to appropriate newsgroups on the internet. Please send comments and requests to reprint or publish this article to me by e-mail to oldrope@aol.com or by regular mail to Jay Wiseman, 3739 Balboa # 195, San Francisco, CA 94121. 

Quick Summary 

Melanoma is an increasingly common form of life-threatening cancer, usually found on the skin, and known for its early and rapid tendency to spread to other organs. Melanoma is frequently found on the back -- a location often whipped during SM play. The back is also a location not easy for a person to examine themselves. Studies have shown that manipulation of a melanoma (and a whip stroke, spank, or other type of blow would, obviously, be a form of "manipulation") definitely increases the number of cancer cells that break off and begin to spread to other parts of the body. It is therefore essential that SM practitioners know how to spot possible melanomas, both on themselves and on their partners, to avoid whipping or otherwise disturbing melanomas, and to 
receive early, definitive medical diagnosis and treatment. 

First Notice 

Earlier this year, my partner Lady Green taught one of her workshops on 
the fundamentals of female domination. After the class, one of her students privately shared a concern of his. It seems that a few months earlier he had been about to receive a whipping from a woman but, upon examining his back, she found a suspicious-looking mole. She told him about the mole, and about her concerns, then proceeded to "torture" him in a manner that avoided his back. He promptly consulted a physician, who diagnosed the mole as a malignant melanoma and excised it. At last report, the man remains in good health. 

The incident raises a number of concerns, both about the disease itself 
and about its relationship to SM play. I have spent a considerable amount of time researching this condition and discussing it with at least half a dozen physicians, including a dermatologist who specializes in treating melanoma patients and a pathologist who specializes in skin diseases. Here is my report. 

Basic Facts 

Melanoma is a form of cancer that arises from a type of cell called melanocytes. Most of these cells are, obviously, in the skin, but melanocytes are also in the mucous membranes, under the nails, in the mouth, and in the eye (including the retina). Melanomas can develop from the sites of existing skin lesions or can develop on their own in areas of previously clear skin. 

Melanoma is the eighth most common form of cancer in the United States 
and currently accounts for about 2% of all cancer deaths, with 6,900 
deaths predicted for 1994. The U.S. death rate from melanoma has been 
growing steadily at a rate of about 4% per year for the last thirty years and is now more than double what it was in 1960. The frequency of melanoma is expected to continue increasing. 

The skin is by far the most common melanoma site. About 600,000 new 
cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Roughly 95% of 
these are "relatively" benign basal cell or squamous cell carcinomas and 
about 5% (32,000 cases) are melanomas. (Non-melanoma skin cancers are 
predicted to cause 2,300 deaths in 1994.) 

Risk Factors 

The average overall lifetime risk of developing melanoma is about one in 
a hundred. Melanoma is most commonly found in fair-skinned Caucasian 
people, especially if they have blue eyes and naturally blonde or red hair. It is more common in people who have a family history of melanoma, and more common in people who have more than fifty ordinary moles. Melanoma is most frequently found in people aged twenty to sixty. A strong correlation exists between episodes of severe sunburn during childhood and increased risk of developing melanoma later in life. 

Exposure to sunlight 

Exposure to large amounts of sunlight, both in childhood and as an adult, increases the probability of certain subtypes of melanomas appearing, but not of others. (There are four basic subtypes.) Melanomas are more frequent near the equator, and the population of Arizona has the highest frequency of melanoma in the United States. Cancer prevention authorities recommend the use of sun block with a SPF of 15 or greater. 

Melanoma and non-Caucasians 

Melanoma is distinctly rare in non-Caucasians, and all but unheard of in Asians. Non-Caucasians face about one-twelfth the average overall lifetime risk of melanoma that Caucasians face. (Still, 200+ non-Caucasians die of melanoma every year -- the majority of them either Black or Hispanic.) When a melanoma is found on a non-Caucasian, it is usually found on the palms or soles, under the nails, on a mucous membrane (including inside the mouth), or within the eye. 

Melanoma and people with HIV 

Melanoma is distinctly more frequent and more aggressive in people who 
have HIV or are otherwise immunosuppressed. These people must be watched 
especially carefully. 

Location on the body 

Melanomas can appear anywhere on the body's surface, including the ano-genital region, the hair on the head, the inside of the mouth -- including the palate, and the interior of the eye. The back and lower legs are the most common sites in women. The back, chest, abdomen, and arms are the most common sites in men. (The issue of whether or not melanomas can be encapsulated with breast cysts -- and possibly released during heavy breast play -- was not itself specifically explored during the research done for this article; no mention of such a phenomenon was noted in the references consulted.) 

Appearance of Melanoma 

Melanomas are described according to the classic ABCD criteria: 

A. Asymmetry: Common moles are both round and symmetrical. A line drawn 
through a melanoma, no matter from what direction, will not create matching halves. 

B. Border: Common moles usually have smooth, even borders. Melanoma 
borders are usually uneven. 

C. Color: Common moles are usually a uniform shade of brown. Melanomas 
can be of differing shades of brown, and/or may have various patches of 
red, white, or blue skin. (When I was in medical school I heard it 
referred to as "the patriotic lesion" for this reason.) 

D. Diameter. Common moles are usually six millimeters -- a quarter of an 
inch -- or less in diameter. (About the size of a pencil eraser.) Melanomas, particularly in their early stages, can be larger. 

Some authorities add a fifth ("E") criteria: 

E. Elevation: A dark nodule elevated above the rest of the skin can be a 
melanoma. 

Detection 

Experts recommend that each person conduct a monthly self-examination of 
their skin, including their scalp. Mirrors can help a great deal, as can a helpful partner. Learn the location, size, color, and other characteristics of whatever marks your skin already has. This will allow you to quickly detect any changes in existing marks or the appearance of new ones. "Knowing your skin,"  particularly the skin on your back, is your first, best line of defense against this very serious disease. 

This monthly self-exam should be supplemented with an unhurried annual 
examination of your skin by an experienced physician. (One physician I 
consulted stressed this point, and also cautioned that not all examinations done by physicians are unhurried.) 

Several different sources cautioned that moles which bleed relatively easily should be regarded with the traditional "high index of  suspicion." 

Treatment 

Treatment is usually by excisional biopsy, which involves removing the 
entire lesion plus a few centimeters of surrounding healthy skin. A pathologist then evaluates the tissue. If the suspected melanoma is unusually large, an incisional biopsy is done. However this is avoided if possible because of concerns that cutting into the melanoma might cause it to shed cells. In the case of melanomas that are exceptionally large, or on a location that has cosmetic importance, such as the face, the patient may be referred to a plastic surgeon. 

Complications and Prognosis 

Melanoma can metastasize by either the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. If found while still localized, the overall five-year-survival rate is in excess of 90%. If the disease has spread to the local lymph nodes but no farther, the five-year-survival rate is approximately 50%. If the disease has spread beyond the lymph nodes, typically to sites such as the liver, lungs, bones, or brain, the five-year-survival rate is less than 15%. Melanomas on the torso have a grimmer prognosis than do melanomas on the limbs because less "filtering" by the lymphatic system occurs in that region. 

Pathology 

Cancer cells do not bond to each other as strongly as healthy cells usually bond to each other. Therefore, many cancer sites "leak" cells, which then travel elsewhere in the body, to a greater degree than healthy tissues leak cells. This is known as increased friability. 

Studies have definitely proven that manipulating a melanoma increases the number of cancer cells that break off and "float downstream" (or is it "upstream"?). While the body's immune system consumes most such cells, preventing them from forming new cancer sites, it certainly cannot be assumed all such cells will be so consumed. 

Medical-related precautions 

Medical professionals are cautioned not to manipulate a suspected melanoma site any more than absolutely necessary. The treatment is excisional biopsy if at all possible. Incisional biopsies, and other cuttings of the site, are avoided unless clearly necessary. Electrolysists are trained not to stick their needles (which can give off heat, or electricity, or both) into moles. There could also be Sports Medicine aspects, particularly regarding contact sports such as football or the martial arts. 

SM-related precautions 

SM-related precautions include not whipping or otherwise striking a possible melanoma, not piercing or cutting through it, and noticing if a mole starts to bleed after being whipped. Those about to receive a whipping, piercing, or cutting should caution their partners about "suspicious" moles on their skin. In addition, subjecting the site to intense heat (from dripping candle wax, for example) or to jolts of electricity (from a cattle prod or violet wand) could also be much more risky than previously thought. 

For further information: 

The following organizations provide excellent educational literature for the general public, including relatively inexpensive color brochures that could be bought in large quantities and distributed to SM clubs and other groups. Small samples will be sent on request. I have looked over most of the available materials, and can be contacted at the addresses listed above regarding recommendations. 

National Cancer Institute, Cancer Information Center, (800) 4-CANCER 
American Cancer Society, 1599 Clifton Road, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329, 
(800) ACS-2345 

Skin Cancer Foundation, 235 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, (212) 
725-5176 

American Academy of Dermatology, P.O. Box 3116, Evanston, IL 60204-3116, 
(708) 869-3954 

American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, 444 East 
Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, (800) 635-0635 

The following academic references were consulted during the preparation 
of this article: 

"Andrew's Diseases of the Skin" 8th edition by Arnold, et al. "Clinical 
Dermatology Illustrated" 2nd edition, by Reeves and Maivech 

"Common Skin Disorders" 4th edition, by Epstein 

"Cancer Facts and Figures - 1994" by the American Cancer Society 

"Dermatology" by Obraun-Falco, et al. 

"Guide to History Taking and Physical Examination" 5th edition, by Bates 

"Malignant Melanoma: Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis" by Holzle, et 
al. 

"Manual of Clinical Problems in Dermatology" by Olbaylt, et al. 
"Textbook of AIDS Medicine" by Broder, et al. 

Conclusion 

While many sadomasochists like "on the edge" play, I doubt that many would want their submissive partners, no matter how self-sacrificing, to risk getting a fatal case of cancer. Like many other cancers, melanoma is almost completely curable if detected and treated early. Informed, monthly self-examination of the skin is the most important step. 

Check your partner's skin. If you spot a funny-looking mole, don't whip 
it! 


  

 

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