A 20-year-old woman named Courtney Whithorn had her thumb amputated after developing a rare form a cancer. The alleged cause of the cancer? Nail biting. The DetailsAccording to The Sun, Whithorn was such an intense nail biter that she completely bit her thumb nail off in 2014 causing it to never fully grow back. Her nailbed eventually began to turn black, pushing her to seek medical treatment, which led to her diagnosis of a very rare form of cancer, acral lentiginous subungual melanoma, which doctors believe is linked to nail-biting trauma.맥스카지노�When I found out that biting my nail off was the cause of the cancer, it shattered me,맥스카지노� Whithorn told The Sun. Though she underwent multiple surgeries to remove her nail bed, the malignant cells in her thumb and two lymph nodes to test for cancer 맥스카지노�which, thankfully, hadn맥스카지노�t spread 맥스카지노� surgeons were still forced to amputate her thumb to her knuckle.맥스카지노�There맥스카지노�s not enough research to say what the survival rate is or what the likelihood of it coming back is,맥스카지노� said Whithorn. 맥스카지노�I맥스카지노�m still waiting for that set of results from the surgery last week, and if it맥스카지노�s clear, then the surgeon watches me for the next five years, and I get regular scans and bloods.맥스카지노�Should You Be Scared?Before you get anxious and convince yourself that your nervous habit has given you cancer, know that nail biting hasn맥스카지노�t at all been proven to be cancer-causing. 맥스카지노�There aren맥스카지노�t any studies that show that trauma contributes to this type of melanoma,맥스카지노� says Mona Gohara, M.D., dermatologist at Yale University. 맥스카지노�Really nobody knows the etiology of acral lentiginous subungual melanoma, though it맥스카지노�s known to be more common in people of color, and is likely due to genetics and/or UV light 맥스카지노� though, yes, it맥스카지노�s possible that trauma might contribute to it.맥스카지노� Still, even if there were a tiny, tiny chance that your previous nail trauma could lead to cancer, Gohara says it would be extremely rare. 맥스카지노�Nail biting is not considered a risk factor for cancer at all 맥스카지노�it맥스카지노�s just a gross habit, especially since flu season is almost here.맥스카지노� Of course, if you do notice any changes in your nails or skin, make sure to talk to your doctor immediately, just to be on the safe side.