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Skin cancer screenings offered

A dermatology group says about 4,600 cases will be diagnosed in Florida.

By Times Staff Writer
Published April 30, 2005

CLEARWATER BEACH - A team of physicians and health care professionals from Moffitt Morton Plant Cancer Care will provide free skin cancer screenings from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday at Pier 60 Pavilion on Clearwater Beach.

The event is the ninth annual "Melanoma Monday" sponsored by the organization, an affiliation between Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa to provide research and services for cancer patients.

Any mole that changes color or has an irregular border or a skin sore that won't heal may be a sign of skin cancer.

"Melanomas, cancer cells, may suddenly appear without warning, but also can develop from or near a mole on the skin," said Tim McMahon, director of cancer services at Morton Plant Hospital. "They're often caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet rays from either the sun or tanning beds. This is a very aggressive type of cancer that can spread to other areas of the body if not detected and treated early."

"Melanoma Monday" is part of a nationwide campaign to raise public awareness of skin cancer.

In addition to free screenings, participants will receive sun safety information and sunscreen samples.

The American Academy of Dermatology predicts that this year more than 1-million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States.

Of those cases, 95,880 will be new cases of melanoma and approximately 4,600 will be diagnosed in Florida.

According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 7,770 deaths from melanoma this year.

[Last modified April 30, 2005, 00:51:14]