ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
The days are getting shorter, but even in the shortest of days, there is still plenty of daylight. With that in mind, as well as other factors, the risk of skin cancer is a constant threat, and skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S.
However, when found early and treated, survival rates from the disease have become higher in recent years, and a booth at this year’s Community Health Fair in Liberal can help with that.
Local dermatologist Dr. Mona Rane will be providing free skin cancer screenings at the Health Fair Oct. 5 at the Seward County Activity Center. The event is hosted by Southwest Medical Center, and Rane described the screening process she uses.
“I have a polarized light,” she said. “I look at the whole body or whatever the patient wants me to have a look at and check for any moles, any lesions that are red in color, are not healing well which may look like pre-cancer. Sometimes I see patients with psoriasis or any other skin disease.”
As the Health Fair is many people’s only access to doctors, Rane said it is important for everyone to take advantage of what not only she provides, but what other vendors offer as well.
“They try to avoid going to doctors because either they don’t have insurance or they cannot afford to go to doctors, and they come with a dark mole, which looks abnormal,” she said.
Rane too said it is important for patients to have a yearly screening for both pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions.
“Catching cancer early can save a life,” she said. “Catching melanoma right at stage one can make a difference on whether they’re going to survive a few years.”
Rane said there are several types of skin cancer.
“There is basal cell carcinoma, which is a cancer because of UV radiation, especially in this part of the world,” she said. “There is squamous cell carcinoma, and there is melanoma. There is actinic keratosis, which is a pre-cancerous lesion. Then it’s basal cell carcinoma, often seen on the nose or the cheeks or the hand.”
Rane called basil cell carcinoma a rodent ulcer.
“If it’s on the nose, it can keep on eating it until it is removed,” she said. “Excision removal is the best treatment. Ofter, people who work outdoors get exposed on their nose, their cheeks.”
Rane said squamous cell carcinoma is most commonly found on the ears and hands, but it can be seen anywhere on the body.
“Not only is it locally invasive, meaning it eats in the tissue where it comes, but it also can move through the lymphatics or the blood vessels into the nose and then into the lungs or any other place,” she said.
Rane emphasized the need to get screened for skin cancer.
“Catching a mole that has changed or gotten darker early helps us cure it,” she said. “Once it becomes stage one to three, the treatment is more aggressive. It’s not just cutting it out. It may also involve immunotherapy.”
Rane, who has been doing screenings at the Health Fair for several years, said she typically sees about 125 to 150 patients at her booth, and she has seen a few who have tested positive for skin cancer.
“Last year, we diagnosed 11 skin cancers,” she said. “One was melanoma, and one was an atypical mole, which could have turned into melanoma.”
While screening is important any time of year, Rane advised taking advantage of the screenings available at the Health Fair, and she said patients should do some examinations themselves before coming to the Health Fair.
“It’s a great service the hospital provides,” she said. “The screenings are free of charge. Wear comfortable clothes. Have a look at your body during shower time and see if there’s anything that worries the patient.”
Rane said individuals should look for new or changing moles, particularly ones that have increased in size, gotten darker or are irregular, and they should also look for bleeing or anything else that worries them.
“Write it on a piece of paper so they can show it to me,” she said. “Any new mole or ulcer which has not healed in three weeks is a red flag. I can have a look at it.”
As far as preventing skin cancer, Rane advised measures such as wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sun-protective clothing. She also said applying sunblock is good, but it is not always an easy thing to do.
“When one is sweaty, one has to apply it every two hours,” she said. “Who has the time to do that? Applying sunblock is important. It’s easier for children and males to wear a hat and sun-protective clothing with long sleeves.”
The Community Health Fair runs from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Activity Center.
