Below Deck star reveals they’ve been diagnosed with skin cancer in emotional update to fans
A BELOW Deck star has revealed they’ve been diagnosed with cancer in an emotional update to worried fans.
Jason Chambers shared the shock health update as he told his fan base how ‘early detection is key’ for cancer.
The reality star ship captain, who stars in the Australian version of the hit show, said: “Update on the biopsy I had. It came back with melanoma. I’m in Australia. That was done in Bali.
“The Australian doctors, which are fantastic in Australia, they weren’t happy with what the indications told them to go to the stage two which would be to cut out a bigger section and test the glands.
“Look Australia, two out of three people suffer from melanoma. It’s a big thing. I never used to wear sunscreen when I was on the boat. I used to put zinc on my nose, the reason being the chemicals. But there’s so many products out there that are chemical-free now, which is great.”
The 52-year-old continued: “For someone that spent their life in the sun, as a child playing sport to working on the ocean, I thought I was resistant to the damaging effects of the sun. I love the sun and its health benefits are evident, but be wise and like everything in life, it’s all about balance, choose your battles.
“With a diagnosed melanoma biopsy, I now have an anxious wait and what I thought was a skin spot turned in just 6 months, early detection is the key.”
Fans flooded him with support, with one writing: “Any form of cancer is scary. Hoping for good news coming up for you.”
A second wrote: “Got you in my prayers brother, been fighting skin cancer for about 10 years.”
“Will be keeping you in my prayers Captain Jason . Merry Christmas and all the best for 2025,” said a third.
While a fourth commented: “Many prayers for clear margins!! The next one will get them all!”
Jason is a father to his daughter Saskia, who he co-parents with his ex partner.
The star previously opened up about being away from her while at sea, admitting he doesn’t see her often.
Jason said: “Being away from her hurts every day.”
He added: “There’s no words for how much I love my daughter. Everything’s about her.”
What is melanoma, what are the symptoms and how can you prevent it?
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer that has a tendency to spread around the body.
It is diagnosed 16,000 times per year, and tragically takes the lives of 2,340 people per year.
The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is increasing, and it is the 5th most common cancer in the UK.
But it is also one of the most preventable cancers, with 86 per cent of cases in the UK avoidable.
The best way to protect yourself from melanoma is to be sun safe – wear SPF every day, wear a hat and sunglasses and keep out of the sun in the hottest hours. It is also advised to avoid sunbeds.
People who are fair-skinned, have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair and a large number of freckles or moles are more likely to get skin cancer.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma, particularly if it is found early. This will involve removing the affected tissue in the skin.
Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used to try and stop the cancer from growing. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
The key thing to look out for are changes to an existing mole, or a new mole on your skin.
Most experts recommend using the simple “ABCDE” rule to look for symptoms of melanoma skin cancer, which can appear anywhere on the body.
There are five letters/words to remember:
- Asymmetrical – melanomas usually have two very different halves and are an irregular shape
- Border – melanomas usually have a notched or ragged border
- Colours – melanomas will usually be a mix of two or more colours
- Diameter – most melanomas are usually larger than 6mm in diameter
- Enlargement or elevation – a mole that changes size over time is more likely to be a melanoma
A mole that changes size, shape or colour may be a melanoma.
But other signs to look out for include moles that are:
- Swollen and sore
- Bleeding
- Itchy
- Crusty
How deadly is it?
Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer.
The outlook of a person’s disease depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed.
Survival is better for women than it is for men.
“We don’t know exactly why this is. It may be because women are more likely to see a doctor about their melanoma at an earlier stage,” says Cancer Research UK.
The charity says that generally, statistics show that in England, more than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85 per cent) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
- Around 100 per cent in England diagnosed with melanoma at stage 1 – when the cancer cells are only in the top layer of skin – will survive for five years or more after diagnosis.This drops to 80 per cent for stage 2.
- Some 70 per cent live for a further five years when they are diagnosed in stage 3, which is when the cancer has started to spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- At stage 4, when the melanoma has spread elsewhere in the body, almost 30 per cent survive their cancer for 5 years or more.
Cancer Research says the stage 4 data does not account for age differences. Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
Age can affect outlook and younger people have a better prognosis than older people.
What is melanoma?
Melanocytes are cells in the skin that give us the colour of our skin because they produce a pigment, known as melanin.
When you sit in the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment (a sun tan), which spreads to other skin cells to protect them from the sun’s rays.
But melanocytes are also where cancer starts.
Too much UV causes sunburn, and this is a sign of damage to the skin’s DNA.
The UV triggers changes in the melanocytes, which makes the genetic material become faulty and cause abnormal cell growth.
People who burn easily are more at risk of skin cancer because their cells do not produce as much pigment to protect their skin.
Those with albinism are at the most risk because their skin produces no pigment at all.