PITTSBURGH — With warmer days ahead, experts are warning families to avoid sunburns and seek medical care for new or changing moles.
The guidance comes as one in five Americans will likely receive a skin cancer diagnosis by age 70, doctors say.
“I was one of those sunbathers,” said Terri Ronald, who was just 39 when she was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
But thanks to early detection and vigilant care, the cancerous mole on her back was excised, and she didn’t require additional treatment.
“The margins were clear, thank goodness, and I was lucky.”
That positive outcome isn’t unusual, thanks to medical advancements.
“Skin cancer has the advantage of - it’s on the external part of our body - so it doesn’t require an invasive procedure, usually, if it’s caught early in that first or second stage. Primary skin cancer surgery is almost always curative in the early phases,” said Dr. Charles Mount, Associate Director at the Allegheny Health Network Skin Cancer Center.
Those advancements come as skin cancer diagnoses have only increased over the decades. It’s more common in fair-skinned people, but essentially anyone can be diagnosed with skin cancer.
Mount said that there are more than 200,000 melanoma cases each year in the United States, but less aggressive skin cancers are much more common. There are about 4 million cases of basal cell carcinoma yearly in the U.S., and about 3 million cases of squamous cell carcinoma.
“Most skin cancer is due to intermittent sunburns or chronic cumulative sun damage, so that’s what drives most of it in lighter skin races,” Mount said.
There can, however, be genetic factors that predispose you to skin cancer, along with medications and medical conditions.
Ronald received genetic testing but found that she has no known predispositions, even though she went on to battle breast cancer as well, and her mother was also diagnosed with melanoma.
Still, she routinely checks her skin and recently underwent a scan using AHN’s state-of-the-art imaging system.
The machine, called Vectra, uses cameras and artificial intelligence to thoroughly scan the body. It isn’t cleared to diagnose cancer, but it can help to identify areas of concern. There’s no radiation involved.
“It can identify high-risk lesions that the dermatologist should evaluate and subsequently biopsy,” said Mount, who said that AHN’S Skin Cancer Center is home to one of roughly 20 in the country.
Fortunately, Vectra didn’t pick up any areas of concern during Ronald’s recent scan.
“If you stay in touch with your body and your doctors, you’ll be just fine, and if not, we can treat lots of this at AHN,” she said. “I’m very grateful to the doctors’ technology and treatment paths that we have here for cancer.”
Dr. Mount urges people to wear sunscreen and sun protective clothing, but doesn’t encourage his patients to remain indoors.
“What I tell my patients is, go out and enjoy the sun, but don’t get sunburned.”
He encourages adults to get at least one baseline screening with a board-certified dermatologist to assess their personal risk of skin cancer and to discuss family risk factors and other health conditions.
From there, the doctor can advise you on how frequently you should have your skin checked.
Mount encourages people to do their own skin checks in the meantime. Take note of new or changing moles, and get a doctor to examine anything that’s asymmetric, irregular, rapidly changing, larger than a pencil eraser, or multi-colored.
As a survivor of multiple cancers, Ronald now runs The Patient Ambassador program, which connects cancer survivors with cancer patients. She said that there aren’t many skin cancer ambassadors. If you’re interested or would like more information, send a message to cancerambassadors@ahn.org.
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