This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Graciela De Jesus about possible signs of melanoma skin cancer. Dr. De Jesus is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology, and a dermatologist at the Hereditary Cancer Clinic at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Melanoma is an aggressive type of skin cancer. However, it's highly curable if caught early. Doctor Graciela De Jesus is here to talk about early detection of this type of skin cancer. Doctor De Jesus is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology and a dermatologist at the Hereditary Cancer Clinic at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Doctor De Jesus, tell us more about melanoma.
Dr. De Jesus: Melanoma is a type of skin cancer originating in the pigment producing cells of the skin. It accounts for about 1% of all skin cancers, but it isn't uncommon. So, for example, in 2023, it was expected that nearly 190,000 Americans would be diagnosed with melanoma.
Conner: Tell us details about the importance of early detection and treatment for this type of skin cancer.
Dr. De Jesus: Yeah, so melanoma and skin cancer in general is unique in that typically it is visible to the patient, right? So, it gives us the opportunity to be able to identify at early stages. And why is it important to identify at early stages? It's because it impacts survival significantly. For example, almost 100% of patients are alive at five years if a melanoma is diagnosed at early stages: zero, one, or two. And if the diagnosis is made when melanoma has spread to distant sites, you know, for example, lymph nodes or other organs, meaning stage four, the survival rate at five years drops significantly to around 35%. In addition, management of early melanoma is often limited to local surgical excision, whereas melanoma that has spread to distant sites needs systemic therapy that can expose patients to additional side effects and complications.
Conner: Tell us the signs to look for that might indicate a concern for melanoma.
Dr. De Jesus: So, we use the mnemonic A, B, C, D, E of melanoma to educate patients on what signs to look for when doing Self-exams. A stands for asymmetry. So, one half of the mole is not the same as the other half. Border irregularity is what we use for B. C stands for color. So, several colors, shades of brown, or different colors like red, white, gray, black even. D is for diameter over six millimeters. And E is really important and stands for evolution. So, any change in color, growth, texture evolution, or evolution becomes symptomatic, where it bleeds, does not heal, hurts or becomes itchy. It should be brought to the dermatologists attention.
Conner: What can we do to help prevent Melanoma.
Dr. De Jesus: Use sunscreen. That is the most important, I think, method we can use to try to decrease our risk of developing melanoma. We recommend using sunscreen on all sun exposed skin every day, SPF 50 or above. We also recommend using wide brimmed hats and sun protective clothing as possible. And you know, we do not want people to stay inside at all times and avoid the sun at all costs. But practicing sun safety is the smart thing to do, and here I think we can consider resources on sun safety that are available in the American Academy of Dermatology website. So I encourage all the listeners to check that out for more information.
Conner: Doctor De Jesus, thanks so much for this information about melanoma.
Dr. De Jesus: Thank you so much for having me Bobbi.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
