By Alice Gibbs Newsweek Life
When she was diagnosed with cancer in July 2020, 28-year-old Natasha Allen knew her life would change. But there was one particular physical change that she wasn’t expecting-the loss of melanin in her skin. Allen, who lives in New York, has been battling stage 4 synovial sarcoma since July 2020, and she has gained viral attention online after sharing how one particular treatment led her skin to lose its natural color.
In the video with more than 740,000 views, Allen, who is a Black woman, said: “When you have lost so much melanin people accuse you of being biracial.” Synovial sarcoma is a rare and aggressive type of soft-tissue cancer that primarily affects adults between the ages of 15 and 35. At stage 4, it is considered difficult to cure, but treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy can help prolong life. “I was diagnosed in July 2020 and was originally in treatment for six months, from September to March. I was in remission by May 2021 but was rediagnosed in November 2021 and have been in treatment ever since,” Allen told Newsweek. Her skin hypopigmentation (discoloration of the skin) began as a minor issue in 2022 while taking a different treatment, Lenvima with Keytruda, which resulted in vitiligo on her hands and feet. However, in July 2024, a month after starting Votrient, she began losing melanin on her face.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Votrient (pazopanib) can affect melanin production in patients. The EMA reports that among the most common side effects of Votrient, occurring in more than 1 in 10 patients, are hair color change and skin hypopigmentation. As well as the physical change, the medication side effect has had a mental impact. “It has been hard mentally to reconcile my new appearance with the view I have of myself. It is quite dysphoric, and it was annoying too when I realized none of my concealers or foundations matched,” Allen said. Aside from the change in skin color, she has also experienced increased sun sensitivity and severe rashes on her legs and arms.
Allen wanted to share her experience online to shed light on the lesser-known side effects of cancer treatment. “I find that a lot of people don’t know all the side effects of cancer, let alone what the experience is like,” she said. “I share my story, good or bad, to raise awareness and hopefully that will result in more funding and research.” The video sparked a wave of interest and support online, where many people were shocked to learn that cancer treatment could have such an effect on skin color. “I GASPED. Gorgeous before and now, but holy cow, I did not know that could happen,” Brielle said. While TikToker Damarah wrote: “Wow, I never knew that this kind of thing happened with cancer medication.” “I had no idea this was even possible. What a nightmare. I’m so sorry,” said Hientokki.
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