Transcription:
Melanoma is always a scary diagnosis and, here at Dana-Farber/Brigham Women’s Cancer Center, we’re so aware of how it affects each individual differently. One important thing to remember before you go onto the computer and read about these horrible cases is that melanoma, in general, when caught early, is a curable disease. And, so it’s really important to talk to your physicians about what stage melanoma you have, because the increased risk of melanoma, most of them, are thin and early melanomas, and those, we have a really good chance of curing by surgery, alone. If you have a deeper melanoma, this is the more serious condition, and you really need to work with your treatment plan, and your treatment team, to see what are the best options available for you.
Even on a cloudy day, eighty percent of ultraviolet rays reach us, so it’s still important to use a daily sunscreen, especially on your face, which is one of the highest exposure areas. So, for our high-risk patients, even if they run out the grocery store, we still want them to have SPF 30 in their facial moisturizer, so that they are protected. In the hot summer days coming up, again, I can’t emphasize enough that other protective strategies are important, such as wearing a hat, protective clothing and, in general, staying in the shade. We do want people to enjoy their summer, but we just want them to do it in a safe way.
The other important thing to remember is that melanoma, when caught early, is a very treatable disease, so we really also want people to know that monthly self-checks are very helpful. This involves standing in front of a mirror—and we usually say the first of the month, every month—as you come out of the shower, stand in front of the mirror with a small, hand-held mirror and get a good look at yourself. Check to make sure there are no moles that are different in color, much larger in size, bleeding, pink…these are the things that we want to hear about. And, if you know you’re at high risk of melanoma because you have a family history, or if you’ve had a lot of sun exposure, or if you have lots of moles, then come in a see us, because a skin examination only takes about ten minutes for us to do, and we can help you also look after your skin and make sure there’s nothing concerning that needs to be taken care of.