Newswise — As Memorial Day Weekend and the opening of the summer beach season fast approaches, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is making experts available to discuss the risks of developing skin cancer and what steps can be taken in order to prevent it.
More than one million people nationwide are affected by skin cancer each year. This year alone, it's estimated there will be close to 68,000 new cases with more than 62,000 of those being classified as melanoma -- the most serious type of skin cancer. More than 11,000 of those cases will result in death. In New Jersey, the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society predict 2,300 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2008, making it the 6th leading state in the country. Precautions such as avoiding sun exposure during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, and avoiding tanning beds and sun lamps can all contribute to skin cancer prevention.
Early detection of melanoma can be found by following a simple ABCD assessment:
Asymmetry (one half of the mole does not match the other half)Border irregularity (the edges are ragged, notched, or blurred)Color (the pigmentation is not uniform, with variable colors of tan, brown, or black)Diameter greater than 6 millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser)
CINJ experts available for comment include:
James Goydos, M.D., is the director of the Melanoma and Sarcoma Unit at CINJ and an associate professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Goydos treats patients with melanoma and can discuss such personal risk factors of family history, mole prevalence, weakened immune system and other items related to the prevention and treatment of skin cancer.
Jonathan Lee, M.D., is a surgical oncologist at CINJ and an assistant professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Lee is currently researching the possibility of the immune system being used to treat and prevent melanoma growth.
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