'Ninja,' Twitch's biggest streamer, diagnosed with skin cancer

American gamer and Twitch superstar Tyler "Ninja" Blevins has revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer.

The 32-year-old, who boasts 19 million Twitch followers, shared his diagnosis in a post on X.

"I'm still in a bit of shock but want to keep you all updated," he said in the post.

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His dermatologist determined Blevins had melanoma after removing a mole on the bottom of his foot during a routine skin check.

"They are optimistic that we caught it in the early stages," Blevins wrote in the post.

He added that doctors also biopsied a second dark spot near the initial mole and removed a large area around the melanoma to determine whether they had successfully gotten all the cancerous tissue.

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"I'm grateful to have hope in finding this early, but please take this as a PSA to get skin checkups," Blevins said in the post.

"I wanted to use my platform to shine light on the importance of routine skin checkups," Blevins and his wife, Jessica Blevins, said in a statement to CNN.

"We are feeling extremely optimistic and will keep everyone posted as we chat more with our doctors."

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Blevins' post follows a recent spate of prominent cancer diagnoses in people younger than 50, a concerning trend that is emerging globally.

No one knows exactly what is driving the trend, but researchers hypothesise that changes in the types of risk factors people are exposed to increases the risk for cancer at a younger age.

Smoking, alcohol consumption, air pollution, obesity, a lack of physical activity and a diet with few fruits and vegetables are key risk factors for cancer, according to the World Health Organisation.