Katherine Ryan diagnosed with cancer a second time

Katherine Ryan has shared news that she was diagnosed with skin cancer for a second time.

The 41-year-old Canadian comedian was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2004 during her student years in Toronto and underwent surgery to have the cancer removed.

Now the star has shared that she underwent a second operation recently to remove a cancerous mole from her arm - and revealed she had to battle to have her health concerns taken seriously.

Opening up on her Telling Everybody Everything podcast, the comedy star said, "It's really easy to take a diagnosis of 'You're healthy' and just walk away... But the mole kept changing."

When she returned to see her doctor, they told her the growth was "totally fine", but removed part of it for testing.

She then had her fears confirmed when the doctor called her to inform her that it was melanoma - but it had been caught early enough that there was less risk the cancer had spread.

Ryan said: "It just feels crazy to me, what could have happened, if I hadn't been my own advocate - and I will continue to be my own advocate."

She went on to explain that she was prompted to return to her doctor for a test after Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp discussed her own melanoma battle.

Ryan told her listeners, "God bless that woman for being so transparent about her journey"