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Skin Cancer: Latest Developments in the Prevention, Detection, and Treatment Runtime: 81 minutes |
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Avoid Exposure to the Sun
The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect yourself and your family from excessive exposure to sunlight -- and not only when you go to the beach. Skin cancer prevention should be practiced every day by seeking shade, wearing protective hats and clothing, avoiding the midday sun, and using a broad-spectrum sunscreen (one that protects against UVA and UVB rays), even on cloudy days.
Screening
Doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering do not recommend regular screening for non-melanoma skin cancer. However, any suspected skin cancer should be brought to the attention of a dermatologist immediately. To learn more, visit our Screening Guidelines for skin cancers.
Diagnosing and treating squamous cell carcinoma as early as possible minimizes the risk of serious cosmetic damage. Squamous cell carcinomas have an excellent cure rate when found early. It is particularly important to identify these cancers early, however, because a small percentage metastasize, or spread to other organs.
During a skin examination, the doctor will look at new growths, spots, or bumps on the patient's skin to determine whether they might be cancerous or precancerous. After the examination, the doctor will show the patient how to examine his or her own skin and determine whether any growths have changed in appearance. Patients may want to pay particular attention to moles that have an asymmetrical shape, an uneven border, more than one color, or appear to be growing in size.
