Netflix Comedian Reveals Second Skin Cancer Bout: Latest on Katherine Ryan

Comedian Katherine Ryan has been diagnosed with skin cancer for a second time.

The Canadian stand-up comic and TV star, 41, revealed on her Telling Everybody Everything podcast that she had recently had a cancerous mole removed from her arm after a doctor initially dismissed her concerns.

Ryan, who had previously had a “golf ball-sized” cancerous lump taken out of her thigh in 2004, went to her dermatologist after noticing a mole that “wasn’t right,” she recalled on the March 21 episode of her podcast.

“If you know about melanoma, you’ll know it is a deadly form of skin cancer. It does spread quickly, and I just felt like this mole wasn’t right,” she said.

The Duchess star’s doctor initially gave her a clean bill of health, but she didn’t feel the diagnosis was correct. “It’s really easy to take a diagnosis of ‘you’re healthy’ and just walk away,” she said. “But the mole kept changing.”

Going back to the doctor, Ryan said she was once again told it was “totally fine,” but she pushed for part of it to be biopsied for testing. When the results came back, her doctor confirmed that she had caught a “very early” melanoma.

Because she caught it so early, Ryan’s doctor said it was unlikely the cancer had spread. “It just feels crazy to me what could have happened if I hadn’t been my own advocate,” Ryan said, “and I will continue to be my own advocate.”

The star credited Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp, who has been open with her own melanoma diagnosis and subsequent stage 4 cancer battle, with inspiring her to push for her own diagnosis. “God bless that woman for being so transparent about her journey,” she said.

As someone with “very fair Celtic skin,” Ryan said she is always using protection when she goes out, but is left wondering now, “What other moles do I need to have checked?”

She also encouraged her listeners to get their skin checked and to be their own health advocate. “You have to make space in your day for these appointments,” Ryan urged.