Madam Secretary and Tea Leoni have received praise from fans for the latest episode, which featured a skin cancer storyline.
Viewers had begun to question what was going on after previews showed Tea’s character Elizabeth McCord with marks on her face.
However, as the episode progressed everything began to make sense. The main storyline saw McCord attempting to deal with the Haitian president, with things coming to a head as she tried to avoid using military action.
However, there was also a subplot which revealed McCord was facing treatment for basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.
At one point, during a conversation with her children, McCord said that the cancer wasn’t going to kill her. As long as basal cell carcinoma is removed in good time, the survival rate is high.
The episode prompted a lot of questions from fans about whether Tea Leoni was dealing with the disease herself, or if it was just a storyline.
At the end of the show, there was a warning about skin cancer which read: “According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. Early detection is essential and saves lives.”
Fantastic @MadamSecretary. Thank you @TeaLeoni & #MadamSecretary show for discussing treatment for skin cancer. pic.twitter.com/DAjeHy1lO7
— Cassidy McMillan (@CassidyMcM) November 26, 2018
Thanks @TeaLeoni for highlighting the prevalence of skin cancer. My mom died from melanoma. People should not take it lightly. @MadamSecretary
— Sue Heuman, ABC, MC (@focuscom) November 26, 2018
While it doesn’t appear that Tea Leoni has battled basal cell carcinoma, her father, Tony Pantaleoni, battled skin cancer.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. The basal cells are what is used to keep your skin alive, producing new cells as the old ones die off.
The cancer can vary greatly in appearance, but the most common areas to find basal cell carcinoma patches are on your face and neck. Find out more at www.cancer.org.
Madam Secretary airs Sunday nights at 10/9c on CBS.