Time for Skin Cancer Screening
Skin Cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States
STONY BROOK, N.Y., April 23, 2018 – Did you know skin cancer is one of the more preventable types of cancer with more than 90 percent caused by excessive exposure to the sun? The combined number of skin cancer and melanoma cases account for about 50 percent of all types of cancer. This is why skin cancer screening is important for all adults. In support of National Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month in May, Stony Brook Medicine’s Department of Dermatology will host free skin cancer screenings on Saturday, May 5, from 8 AM to 11:30 AM, at Stony Brook Medicine Advanced Specialty Care, 500 Commack Road, Commack, NY 11725. Individuals 18 or older who haven’t received a screening within the last year are encouraged to make an appointment.
Skin cancer screening takes up to seven minutes or less. At the Stony Brook Medicine event, screenings will be performed by dermatologists and resident physicians trained to diagnose all types of skin cancer. All participants will listen to a five minute educational lecture on the prevention and detection of skin cancer and receive a free kit including sun protection items and patient materials, as well as a copy of the comments from the doctor. Doctors will discuss causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and more.
Anyone can get skin cancer, but some things put you at higher risk. Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays in as little as 15 minutes. A change somewhere on your skin is the most common sign of skin cancer. This could be a new growth, a sore that doesn’t heal, or a change in a mole. The two most common types of skin cancer–basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas–are highly curable and are sometimes called nonmelanoma skin cancers. Melanoma, the third most common skin cancer, is more dangerous and causes the most deaths. The majority of these three types of skin cancer are caused by overexposure to UV light. However, abnormal tissue or cancer found early, may be easier to treat.
Skin cancer is not a rare disease, with new melanoma of the skin cases rising for at least the past two decades. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2018, it is estimated that there will be 91,270 new cases of melanoma of the skin and an estimated 9,320 people will die of this disease.
For more information about the free skin cancer screening event and to make an appointment, call 631-444-4000 or visit stonybrookmedicine.edu.
Contact: Kali Chan, 631-487-4092
