URMC to Host Free Skin Cancer Screening

The University of Rochester Medical Center will once again offer an opportunity for free skin cancer screening. The screening will be held Saturday, May 7, from 9:00-1:00 pm, in  the Dermatology Suite AC-2, located on the second floor of the Ambulatory Care Facility (ACF), at Strong Memorial Hospital.  The screenings will be conducted by physicians within URMC’s Department of Dermatology as well as those affiliated with the Rochester Dermatology Society. 

Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. While the need for vigilance and protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays has been promoted heavily in recent years, the prevalence of skin cancer continues to increase and remains a major concern in the medical community:

·         Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually.

·         Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.

·         One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.

·         Over the past 31 years, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined.

·         Nearly 800,000 Americans are living with a history of melanoma and 13 million are living with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer, typically diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

·         Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once.

·         About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

·         Over 8,000 people die each year from melanoma.

The screening is sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology, the Rochester Dermatology Society, and the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. For more information, call 275-3871.