According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. The AAD says that it’s estimated that around 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.
“In general if you notice a spot that is growing on your skin that gets bigger and bigger over the course of a couple weeks that a good sign that you need to go get something checked out” said Dr. Andrew Roehrig, Radiation Oncologist at Kadlec.
Symptoms of skin cancer:
– Mixed colored skin lesions
– Redness
– Itching
– Pain
– Bleeding
AAD says that while skin cancer is common and often treatable, Melanoma accounts for the vast majority of people who die from the disease. 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their life and currently more the 1,000,000 people are living with melanoma.
Stage 0:
Precancerous cells that look like a mixed colored mole or a freckle that have an irregular shape.
Stage 1:
Stage 1 melanoma is broken down into 2 categories depending on depth of the disease. Skin looks broken or disintegrated and the cells are growing quickly.
Stage 2:
Cancer still has not spread beyond the skin but has gone inside of the inner layer of the skin. Stage 2 is divided into 3 categories depending on the disease’s thickness.
Stage 3:
Melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes near the tumor. Stage 3 is divided into 4 categories depending on tumor size and how many lymph nodes are affected.
Stage 4:
Cancer cells have spread to distant areas of the body.
According to AAD, the survival rate for someone who has stage 4 melanoma is about 30%.
Dr. Roehrig tells Nonstop Local that he recommends SPF 30 for people who are going to be outside for an extended period of time.
“The things that can help prevent skin cancer is honestly monitoring your own skin and having a skin check done once a year” said Dr. Andrew Roehrig, Radiation Oncologist at Kadlec.
