Katherine Ryan has revealed she was left stunned after being slapped with a £6,000 bill this week for a simple blood test to support her post-cancer care.
The comedian, 41, detailed the shocking incident on Sunday as she gave an update on her health following her recent diagnosis of early-stage melanoma, a type of skin cancer, for the second time.
Last week, she had the cancerous mole and surrounding tissue removed.
The mother-of-three said: ‘I have been just handling all the follow-up for the melanoma.
‘Waiting for the histology was really peaceful because I knew after the second removal, everything from that area would be gone. And it was confirmed as gone.’
Katherine had an appointment this week at the Cadogan Clinic in Chelsea, where she was told that while she’s in the clear, she does have a benign haemangioma in her liver – ‘something that 20 percent of people have from birth, and they’re not worried about it’.
Katherine Ryan has revealed she was left stunned after being slapped with a £6,000 bill this week for a simple blood test to support her post-cancer care
The comedian, 41, detailed the shocking incident on Sunday as she gave an update on her health following her recent diagnosis of early-stage melanoma, a type of skin cancer , for the second time
Katherine said she doesn’t need any further treatment at the moment, but the oncologist offered her an in vitro genetics test to help detect any other potential health issues.
She agreed to it and arranged to have it done at her home in London, where she lives with her three children and husband Bobby Kootstra.
Sharing details of the visit on the latest episode of her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, she said: ‘This company was so amazing and really attentive right away.
‘I got an email right after my meeting with the oncologist from the patient coordinator who was like, we are going to do this DNA test, we just have to take some of your blood and we’re gonna send someone to your house to get it. I was like, perfect!
‘The guy shows up – an absolute hunk. A very well-dressed, young, Selling Sunset type,’ she says, referring to the attractive cast of the US reality series.
‘It was a great experience. The phlebotomist took my blood quickly and everyone looked after me very well.’
However, events soon took a turn. ‘They leave, and then seconds later into my inbox, I get the bill. Six grand!
‘Six thousand pounds for the blood test. I thought, oh god, I knew that Selling Sunset hunk was too premium.’
Katherine said she doesn’t need any further treatment at the moment, but the oncologist offered her an in vitro genetics test to help detect any other potential health issues
She agreed to it and arranged to have it done at her home in London, where she lives with her three children and husband Bobby Kootstra
Sharing details of the visit on the latest episode of her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, she said: ‘This company was so amazing and really attentive right away’
However, events soon took a turn. ‘They leave, and then seconds later into my inbox, I get the bill. Six grand!’
‘I showed Bobby and that was my biggest mistake. He was like, ‘What?! A blood test!?’ And I was like, you know what though Bobby, if it saves your life, then that’s very little.
‘I just think you can’t be too careful with this stuff. I’m very lucky to have access to this kind of thing.’
The Canadian-born star is yet to find out the results of her £6,000 test.
‘My understanding is it can test tumours and it can test your blood and it can test your DNA for exactly what type of cancer you may have, or what type of cancer gene,’ she explained.
‘Like, I may have a melanoma gene. I don’t know what they can do with that information – I think there are some medications to turn that gene off – but they do in vitro testing on your specific DNA.
‘So they take your DNA and put it in glᴀss and they use a variety of treatments on the specific genome that you have, and it will show what works best for you.
‘Just to be clear, I don’t need any other treatments at the minute. We’re just doing investigative preventative stuff. It’s a little trial and error before they land on the thing that works for you or for that specific type of cancer that you’re dealing with.’
Katherine added that despite the eye-watering price tag that came with her private test, she was glad she did it.
‘If you are undergoing any type of cancer investigations or treatments and you are doing that through the NHS, I think ask your NHS doctor if they do in vitro genetic testing to see what type of treatment is right for you.’
It’s the second time Katherine has been diagnosed with the disease, having been diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer in 2004.
Speaking on her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything last week, she explained: ‘The only reason that they agreed to remove it was because I went to a fancy private place in South Kensington and I paid them a grand.
‘I don’t know if on the NHS they ever would have removed this mole.’
While the Canadian comic did not trust the NHS would have removed the mole, she revealed she faced different problems while seeing private doctors.
She explained that she had paid £300 for a seven-minute consultation with a doctor, who wrongly informed her the mole wasn’t cancerous.
Yet she was inspired to keep pushing with her concerns after following Teddi Mellencamp’s journey.
The Real Housewives star, 43, has been battling skin cancer since 2022 and this year revealed doctors had found three tumours in her brain.
Katherine recalled: ‘He gave me the news that I wanted! I think it’s really easy to take a diagnosis of you’re healthy and walk away, you go ”great I’m healthy” and you don’t think about it again because that is the easiest news.
‘But the mole kept changing – I know a lot about melanoma, I had a melanoma as a very young woman, stage two on my leg – and I’ve spoken about that before.’
She continued: ‘Even that didn’t look traditionally like melanoma to me, fair enough it had some discolouration and asymmetry and a bit of black and red. It was a flat mole, not that bad and not that big, but it was stage two melanoma so that was bad.
Read More Katherine Ryan shares a health update after undergoing second surgery for skin cancer 
‘I had to have full general anesthetic and surgery to have a golf-ball size of my leg because – if you know about melanoma, you know it’s a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly form of skin cancer and it spreads quickly.’
Discussing her current cancer battle, she went on: ‘I just felt like this mole wasn’t right. It’s on my arm, I showed pictures of it on social media, this is like the hole from having it removed.
‘I went in and I wanted the doctor to remove a bigger piece of it and sтιтch it up in a straight line.
‘But even when he looked at it, he was like ‘not melanoma, totally fine, I will do the shave and send it away for histology and if there’s any borders that we missed, then we will do the deeper cut’.’
Yet the test confirmed that she needed the deeper cut, and she continued: ‘It just feels crazy to me, like what could have happened if I hadn’t been my own advocate – and I will continue to be my own advocate.
‘If I hadn’t pushed, if I had taken that good answer the first time and walked away. Then I would have had melanoma just growing and spreading in my arm and I would say ‘oh no the doctor says it’s fine, it’s fine’ and god knows how far that would have gone.’
Katherine shared her shock at the diagnosis, revealing how she has been careful to protect her skin.
Explaining how she broke the news to husband Bobby Kootstra, she shared: ‘I was upset when I called [Bobby] because I feel very lucky but I also feel like what the f**k?
‘It’s not ideal to have melanoma twice in your life and I obviously have a genetic predisposition, I am someone with type one, Celtic skin, I have over 100 moles.
It’s the second time Katherine has been diagnosed with the disease, having been diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer in 2004
She said previously: ‘The cancer wasn’t that serious. It wasn’t into my lymph nodes, I didn’t have to have chemotherapy’
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‘I don’t go in the sun, I wear SPF all the time, I cover my body, I cover my arms, I cover my face, but here’s my second go with melanoma that I know of! I’m thinking f**k what other moles do I need to get checked?’
She added in a TikTok video: ‘This time luckily I caught it early, I don’t think it has spread.’
It’s the second time Katherine has been diagnosed with the disease, having been diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer in 2004.
She said previously: ‘The cancer wasn’t that serious. It wasn’t into my lymph nodes, I didn’t have to have chemotherapy.
‘It did recur, but it was easily dealt with. I feel like I was really lucky just to get that lesson, that little smack on the a**e of ‘Hey, wait a minute. Listen to your body, here.’
What is malignant melanoma?
Malignant melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells found in the upper layer of skin that produce melanin, which gives skin its colour.
While less common that other types of skin cancer, it is more dangerous because of its ability to spread to other organs more rapidly if it is not treated at an early stage.
Symptoms
A new mole or a change in an existing mole may be signs of melanoma.
Melanomas can appear anywhere on your body, but they’re more common in areas that are often exposed to the sun.
Some rarer types can affect the eyes, soles of the feet, palms of the hands or genitals.
Check your skin for any unusual changes. Use a mirror or ask a partner or friend to check any areas you cannot see.
In particular, look for:
Moles with an uneven shape or edges Moles with a mix of colours Large moles – melanomas often tend to be more than 6mm wide Moles that change size, shape or colour over time
Causes
Ultraviolet (UV) light is the most common cause of melanoma. It comes from the sun and is used in sunbeds.
Melanoma is more common in older people, but younger people can also get it.
You’re also more likely to get melanoma if you have:
Pale skin that burns easily in the sun Red or blonde hair Blue or green eyes A large number of freckles or moles Had a lot of sun exposure and you’ve had sunburn a lot in the past Used sunbeds a lot A history of skin cancer in your family or you’ve had skin cancer before
If you have black or brown skin, you have a lower chance of getting melanoma, but you can still get it.
Prevention
Staying safe in the sun is the best way to lower your chance of getting skin cancer (both melanoma and non-melanoma).
Do the following:
Stay out of the sun during the H๏τtest part of the day (11am to 3pm in the UK)Keep your arms and legs covered and wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglᴀsses that provide protection against ultraviolet (UV) raysUse sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 and at least 4-star UVA protection – make sure you reapply it regularlyMake sure babies and children are protected from the sun – their skin is much more sensitive than adult skin
Treatment
Melanoma skin cancer can often be treated. The treatment you have will depend on where it is, if it has spread and your general health.
Surgery is the main treatment for melanoma. Radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used.
Surgery could involve removing the melanoma and an area of healthy skin around it, swollen lymph nodes if the cancer has spread to them and other parts of the body if it has spread to them.
If a large part of skin has to be removed, a skin graft might be needed which could see kin taken from another part of the body to cover the area where the melanoma was.
Radiotherpay is sometimes used to reduce the size of large melanomas and help control and relieve symptoms.
Targeted medicines and immotherapy are used to treat melanomas that can’t be dealt with by surgery, or have spread to lymph glands or other parts of the body.
Chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells, is sometimes used to treat advanced melanoma when it has spread to another part of the body. It does not work as well as other treatments, but can be used if you are unable to have them.
How dangerous is it?
Generally for people with melanoma in England:
almost all people (almost 100%) will survive their melanoma for 1 year or more after they are diagnosedaround 90 out of every 100 people (around 90%) will survive their melanoma for 5 years or more after diagnosismore than 85 out of every 100 people (more than 85%) will survive their melanoma for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed
Sources: NHS, the Skin Cancer Foundation and Cancer Research UK
