SKIN CANCER SCREENING
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States; in fact, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. People of all colors and races can get skin cancer.
There are many different types of skin cancer, including actinic keratoses (AK), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma. BCC and SCC are the most common forms of skin cancer, but melanoma is the most deadly. With early detection and proper treatment, the cure rate for BCC and SCC is about 95 percent.
When melanoma is detected before it spreads, it also has a high cure rate. Regular self-skin exams and a yearly examination by a dermatologist help people find early skin cancers (AAD, 2018).
What to expect during your visit
During your skin exam your provider will check your entire body for moles, birthmarks, or other pigmented areas that look abnormal in color, size, shape, or texture.
Your provider will ask you or your Power of Attorney (POA) for history and if you’ve had any worrisome new or changing moles or marks. If an area on the skin looks abnormal, a biopsy is usually done. Your provider will remove as much of the suspicious tissue as possible with a local excision. A pathologist then looks at the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells and a treatment plan is created based on the results.
In addition, DermRight offers a new and innovative way to screen a mole for melanoma by using a DermTech Adhesive Sticker. This adhesive sticker painlessly lifts skin cells off your mole and extracts RNA and DNA from skin tissue samples to find genomic markers of melanoma specifically and accurately. The DermTech Melanoma Test is extremely accurate and is a great, non-invasive alternative to screen for melanoma.
If you decide you do not want a full body check you may request a more focused exam to be limited to areas of concern.