By Tom Gerken
Technology reporter
US streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has revealed he has been diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.
Posting on X, the 32-year-old Fortnite gamer – who has 19m followers on Twitch – said a mole removed from his foot was found to be cancerous.
Ninja said a second dark spot on his foot was also being checked, and though “shocked” he was “grateful to have hope” that the cancer was found early.
He is urging others to get regular check-ups.
Ninja has become synonymous with Twitch since his return to the streaming site in 2020, following a brief stint with Microsoft’s rival platform Mixer – which was shutdown in June that year.
Such is his popularity on Fortnite that players can pay to make their characters look like him.
His status as one of the most recognisable names in streaming has also led to him appearing on mainstream programmes, such as The Masked Singer US.
In his post on X, Ninja said he found out about the cancer after visiting a dermatologist for an annual check-up of his moles.
“There was a mole on the bottom of my foot that they wanted to remove just to be careful,” he said.
“It came back as melanoma, but they are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages.”
According to the NHS website, melanoma is a form of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body, and is typically caused by ultraviolet light from the sun.
It advises people to be careful in the sun, by using sunscreen and reapplying it regularly.
Those more at risk of developing melanoma include people with pale skin, a large number of moles, and history of skin cancer in their family.
Surgery is the main treatment, but in cases where the cancer has spread, chemotherapy might also be used.
