The "CBS Morning News" anchor said use of tanning beds and her fair skin contributed to the grim diagnosis.
Norah O'Donnell has opened up about her shocking skin cancer diagnosis, saying that she received the news during a regular checkup with her dermatologist.
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The CBS This Morning anchor learned in November that she had a cancerous melanoma on her upper left back after her doctor identified two irregular moles and sent them out for biopsy.
She admitted she was at high risk.
“I was very upset and cried about it and talked about it with my family who are doctors,” O’Donnell told Inside Edition. “The fact that I have number one, fair skin, number two, spent a lot of time in the sun, and three, used a tanning salon, were all contributing factors.”
Melanoma accounts for just one percent of all skin cancers, but it's the most deadly, according to the American Cancer Society.
Using tanning beds actually increases your chance of getting melanoma by 75 percent, according to the Melanoma Research Alliance and CDC.
Within two months, doctors had removed the moles. She is now cancer-free and writing about her ordeal for the June issue of Good Housekeeping.
“Don't be afraid to go to your dermatologist," she told Inside Edition. "It's so much better that we caught this early."
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