Luis Manzano is cleared of cancer after having discovered that there was a lump on his head.

On 4 May, Manzano shared that Jo Garcia, his hairstylist, noticed that the lump on his head became bigger while they were preparing for Johnny Manahan’s tribute party. All this time, the actor thought it was only a mole.

“Akala ko dati pa, nunal (I thought it was only a mole),” Manzano said, adding that he already had that “mole” when he was younger. “Pero noong nakapa niya (Jo Garcia), sabi niya, ‘Kuya, parang lumaki ang nunal mo’ (But when she felt it, she said ‘Kuya, your mole has become bigger).”

This led the actor to consult a specialist and undergo a series of tests to check if the lump on his head was benign or malignant. He suspected that the growing lump on his head was due to melanoma.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer typically characterized by changes in the appearance of moles, which can spread quickly to other parts of the body if not detected and treated early.

“May kailangan i-biopsy dito sa taas ng ulo ko. Parang ang biopsy kung ‘di ako nagkakamali ay i-check kung cancerous or not (It seems like there’s a need to biopsy the area on the top of my head. The biopsy, if I am not mistaken, is to check whether it’s cancerous or not),” Manzano said.

Manzano shared to his YouTube viewers that he was fortunately cleared of cancer and the lump on his head is benign: “So far, it looks okay, pero may kailangan lang idagdag na blood test para makasiguro lang na hindi problema ito. Nothing is definitive, still tuloy-tuloy ang dasal (So far, it looks okay, but I need to add more blood tests to ensure it’s not a problem. Nothing is definitive. Still, I will keep praying).”

Despite the good news, Manzano said that waiting for his biopsy and other test results was the most difficult part. Eventually, he underwent an operation to remove the lump on his head.

“Ito ‘yung pinaka-mahirap sa lahat ng mga test. Minsan ‘yung procedure itself hassle kung hassle. Pero ang pinakamabigat diyan ay ang pag-aantay ng results kasi malalaman to kung benign ba to or malignant (This is the most difficult of all the tests. Sometimes, the procedure itself is a hassle. But the hardest part is waiting for the results, which will determine whether it’s benign or malignant),” he said.

The 43-year-old actor and host said that the main goal of his YouTube vlog was to create awareness for many people because they may be going through the same thing with their moles.

He also added that cancer is something he wouldn’t wish on anyone.

“Ang dami kong mga kakilala na, unfortunately, nadali na ng cancer. And you see na it’s very life-changing para sa kanila. So, even if nandoon ‘yung reassurance pa rin na sinasabi nila na wala ‘yan, precautionary ‘yan, pero the fact lang na may .000001 percent (I know a lot of people, who, unfortunately, have been affected by cancer. And you see that it’s very life-changing for them. So, even if there is a reassurance that it’s nothing, just precautionary, the fact remains that there’s that .000001 of it happening),” he said.