For years Magnus Bowles was convinced that the brown mark the size of a 50p on the sole of his left foot was the result of something staining his skin.

But when a podiatrist happened to see it during a routine appointment in early 2021, seven years after Magnus first noticed it, he was told there was a large verruca (a wart on the foot) within the discoloured area.

On the podiatrist’s advice, he used an over-the-counter verruca treatment ‘but it was still there a couple of months later’, recalls Magnus, 57, who lives in Farnham, Surrey, with his wife Annalisa, 54, and their two teenage daughters.

As it wasn’t getting any better and he now had an open sore under his heel, Magnus showed it to his GP, who agreed it was a verruca. So he carried on with the treatment. But with no sign of improvement Magnus, a sports book dealer, began researching online and found that his ‘verruca’ looked very much like images of skin cancer.

He booked an urgent appointment at his GP’s surgery, where a nurse agreed with his assessment: two months later biopsies confirmed his verruca was actually a malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer and the fifth most common cancer in the UK.

Worse news was to come: doctors discovered it had already spread to the lymph nodes in his groin, making it an advanced stage-three melanoma.

‘To be honest I was anticipating the worst, mainly because I had left it so long to act – and also because of the damage that may have been done by the freezing treatment,’ says Magnus.

Magnus Bowles had stage three melanoma on his heel and needed an operation and immunotherapy. He is now cancer free

The ‘mark’ on Magnus’s heel that turned out to be cancer, this is when he was told it was a verruca

‘In some ways I was just relieved that the cancer hadn’t spread more.’

Cases of malignant melanoma are rising in the UK, and are predicted to increase from an average 19,300 a year between 2020 and 2022, to a 21,300 cases this year – the highest on record, according to new figures released by Cancer Research UK yesterday.

The cancer is linked to sunburn – experiencing five or more blistering sunburns between the ages of 15 and 20 increases the risk of melanoma by 80 per cent, reports the American Academy of Dermatology.

Worrying new data published by the charity Melanoma Focus earlier this month found an alarming 49 per cent of British people suffer from sunburn at least once a year, rising to 65 per cent for 18 to 32-year-olds.

Like many people, Magnus ‘had no idea that you could get melanoma on the base of your foot’.

‘I also thought that melanomas started as a mole that changed over time and had particular characteristics that experts would easily recognise,’ he says.

‘But mine was more like an oil or ink stain under my skin, and not in a place where I ever thought the sun would affect me.’

After using the verucca treatment he had an open sore on his heel and it wasn’t getting any better

Magnus had a rare form of malignant melanoma, acral lentiginous melanoma, which typically appears on the palms, the soles of the feet or under the nails, and can look like an irregularly shaped black or brown patch – which may be mistaken for a bruise or fungal infection.

They are most common in people with darker skin.

Bob Marley famously died aged 36 from this type of melanoma, which appeared under his toenail, and eventually spread.

When he was diagnosed in 1977, doctors recommended a toe amputation but he refused and instead had the nail and some of the skin around it removed. In 1980 doctors discovered the cancer had spread and he died in 1981.

Generally this type of melanoma is slow-growing and related to genes rather than sun damage – although sun exposure can play a role and experts warn that feet are often neglected when it comes to sun protection and checking for moles.

‘Many people diligently apply sunscreen to their face, shoulders and legs as those areas are more obviously exposed to the sun, but overlook their feet, particularly between the toes and on the soles,’ explains Dr Angela Tewari, a consultant dermatologist at King’s College Hospital in London.

‘Yet these areas are still vulnerable to harmful UV radiation.’

Magnus needed an area 6cm in diameter and 1cm deep removed near the sole of his left heel

Not only can skin cancers be harder to spot in these ‘hidden’ locations, but they’re also frequently mistaken for warts, calluses, fungal infections or bruises.

‘This delay can lead to a poorer prognosis, especially with aggressive cancers such as melanoma,’ says Dr Tewari, who is also based at the Lister Hospital in London.

People may be put off applying sunscreen on their feet because they don’t want it on their sandals or because it feels uncomfortable between their toes, adds Dr Tewari, who recommends applying a minimum of SPF 30 or higher to all areas of the feet, including between the toes, the sides of the feet and the ankles.

Other experts advise applying it to the soles of the feet too.

‘When people sunbathe on their stomach with their soles pointing up, that’s a lot of sun exposure without them realising it,’ explains Dr Adil Sheraz, a consultant dermatologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London and spokesman for the British Skin Foundation.

You can also be exposed to UV from reflective surfaces, such as water and glass.

‘It would never cross my mind to put sun cream on the sole of my foot,’ says Magnus. Although he regularly holidays in Italy, he’s not a sunbather – the only explanation he can think of is that when he swims his feet ‘are facing upwards in the pool’. The sole of the foot doesn’t always burn as much, so you may not be aware of the amount of sun damage that’s happening, adds Dr Sheraz, who says he’s removed pre-cancerous or cancerous moles from between patients’ toes.

‘Moles can also be found under toenails and on the soles of the feet, and they can all be cancers,’ he says. ‘These things are often spotted when someone has a pedicure,’ warns Dr Bernard Ho, a consultant dermatologist at St George’s Hospital in London and spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists.

The experts advise examining your feet monthly, including soles, between the toes and under toenails, to check for new growths, changes in existing moles, persistent sores that don’t heal or unusual discoloration.

‘Many cancers don’t resemble moles at all and instead they can emerge as entirely new growths,’ says Dr Tewari.

Use a mirror to check difficult-to-see areas and consult your GP or dermatologist if you are concerned by any changes.

Doctors never clarified whether Magnus ever had a verruca but these and warts should also be examined, says Dr Ho.

‘If it doesn’t go away or if it’s painful, bleeds or ulcerates, then see a GP because, although rare, it can change into something worrying,’ he adds.

Another, although less aggressive, type of skin cancer – squamous cell carcinoma – can develop in areas of chronic inflammation, such as those where warts have been present for a long time, or where warts have been treated aggressively, he explains.

Depending on the cancer size, treatment can involve toe amputation, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Magnus needed an area 6cm in diameter and 1cm deep removed near the sole of his left heel. During his operation in March 2022 two lymph nodes in his groin were also removed as a scan showed signs of cancer there.Recovery was ‘very tough,’ he says, as the large wound made walking difficult. It healed slowly and he had immunotherapy for a year after the operation – finally finishing treatment in October 2023.

‘Once we knew what was happening, we kept our girls in the picture and it was terrifying for them, and Annalisa who had to face the horrendous prospect of looking after the children alone if I didn’t recover,’ says Magnus.’

Magnus now has brain scans every six months and scans of his body every three months to check for cancer. He also regularly sees a dermatologist.

‘I’ve had a few moles removed but thankfully none of them have been cancerous,’ he explains.

‘But as a result of the lymph nodes being removed, I’ve been left with lymphoedema [swelling caused by a damage to the lymphatic system, which transports fluid around the body] in my left leg, which means it’s around 20 per cent larger than my right leg. I wear a stocking most of the time to try to control it.

‘As a family we’re now much more conscious of using plenty of sunscreen and we’ve started getting our moles checked every six months by a dermatologist – you can’t be too careful.’