Melanoma: The Most Common Form of Skin Cancer

April 23, 2019

May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month

Nobody likes to think about the possibility of cancer. When we do, it is usually because there is a reason, such as being personally exposed to the disease in some way or having been brought to mind through awareness campaigns. For the most part, however, we try to put the ugly, frightening reality of cancer far from our minds. It is a huge mistake, and we know that it is because when it comes to skin cancer, what we do not know about it — and ourselves, is killing us.

Let’s be clear. There is no “good” cancer and Healthy Kansas City magazine wants everyone to be as informed as possible about every form as even gaps in knowledge can cause a serious and dangerous misunderstanding. Breast cancer, for example, gets a lot of press and lung cancer may be the deadliest, but when it comes to the sheer number of cases, nothing comes close to skin cancer. One in five Americans will get some form of skin cancer in their lifetime, according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Skin cancer is by far the most common form of cancer, accounting for nearly half of all cancers in the USA. Each year nearly 3 million new cases are diagnosed. We spoke with Mark Fleischman, M.D., Medical Director at U.S. Dermatology Partners Leawood in Kansas to get a better understanding of skin cancer detection and prevention.

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