There's a link

  I was diagnosed with stage 1A melanoma on my left arm in mid-January and had surgery to remove it on February 5th.  Skin cancer runs highly in my family, although I am the only immediate family member to get melanoma.  About 3-4 weeks after I was cleared from the melanoma diagnosis, I discovered a lump in my breast and started the journey of breast cancer.  Of course, the first question my family and I kept asking the doctors was "are the two cancers related?".  First, my breast surgeon said it was "unlikely".  Then my oncologist said "no".  After posting on facebook about my diagnosis, a friend informed me that her mother had melanoma and breast cancer within the same year.  I found this to be very interesting and immediately started research online.  Apparently, there is a correlation!  A study was done in the UK and published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science a few years ago, which proves that there is a link.  This other article is interesting too: "they concluded that survivors had a 28 percent increased risk of a second cancer, mostly due to their 9-times greater likelihood of developing another melanoma than the general population. The most common second cancers after melanoma were breast, prostate, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."
 
  After I learned about this information, I started finding more people/professionals who were aware of this study and believed there to be a link.  I also found out a family member of mine has also had both cancers.  So upon learning this new information, my family and I demanded a PET Scan, which scans your entire body looking for cancers.  Praise the Lord, my PET Scan was clear.
  So if you or anyone you know has ever had breast cancer or melanoma, please be aware of this study and regularly check your body for abnormalities, and immediately seek a doctor if you see or feel anything unusual.