RISK FACTORS
- Do you or have you sunbathed?
- Do you use tanning beds or booths?
- Do you have fair skin with blonde or red hair?
- Do you sunburn easily or have many freckles?
- Did you have severe sunburns as a child?
- Do you have many or unusually shaped moles?
- Do you live in a southern climate or at a high altitude?
- Do you spend a lot of time outdoors (for work or recreation)?
- Have you ever received radiation treatment?
- Has anyone in your family had skin cancer?
- Do you have a weakened immune system due to an organ transplant, HIV infection, or another condition?
- Were you born with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), basal cell nevus syndrome, or dysplastic nevus syndrome?
- Have you been exposed to arsenic, coal tar, paraffin or radium?
For more information on risk factors, read What Are the Risk Factors for Melanoma? or What Are the Risk Factors for Non-Melanoma?
Assess your risk for skin cancer.
PREVENTIVE BEHAVIORS
- Stay out of the sun, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM
- Wear a broad-brimmed hat, a shirt, and sunglasses when out in the sun
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher, and reapply it often
- Do not use tanning beds or sunlamps
- Wear wrap-around sunglasses with at least 99% UV absorption, labeled as blocking UVA and UVB light; or "UV absorption to 400 nm," which means UVA and UVB protection
- Protect young children from excess sun exposure
- Check your skin often for abnormal or changing areas, especially moles, and have them examined by your doctor
For more information on preventive behaviors, read Can Melanoma Be Prevented? or Can Non-Melanoma Be Prevented?
EARLY DETECTION
Regular Self exam:
- Become familiar with any moles, freckles or other spots on your skin. Use a mirror or have a family member or close friend look at areas you can’t see (ears, scalp, lower back). For information on skin self-exam, click here
- Check for skin changes once a month. Show any suspicious or changing areas to your doctor
Cancer-Related Checkup (including skin exam) for those at high risk:
- Over 20: every 3 years
- Over 40: every year
For more information on early detection, read Can Melanoma Be Found Early? or Can Non-Melanoma Be Found Early?
CANCER TREATMENT OPTIONS
Evergreen’s Cancer Program offers a range of treatment options for prostate cancer. Depending on staging, those treatments include surgery or radiation with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT).
The NexProfiler™ is an interactive tool that provides evidence-based, peer-reviewed medical literature to help cancer patients and their physicians make more informed treatment decisions. It is brought to you by Evergreen Healthcare and NexCura Inc.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Cancer Care at Evergreen
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
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