ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, with one in five Americans developing the disease by the age of 70, and more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined.
At this weekend’s Community Health Fair, local dermatologist Dr. Mona Rane will offer free skin cancer screenings and answer any questions people may have as well.
Rane said many patients come with concerns about moles, one of the signs a person could have skin cancer.
“It turns out to me melanoma,” she said. “I see those surprises too. Many of them don’t have insurance and don’t want to spend money to see doctors, and the health fair becomes a good resource for them to get a yearly screenings.”
This is the 17th year of the Community Health Fair, and Rane has been part of the event for several years, often seeing many of the same patients every year, and she said many consider the health fair their go-to skin exam.
“Many of them like the whole body examined as much as possible, and they want me to check each and every one of their moles,” she said. “I have a dermatoscope with me. A dermatoscope has a polarized light. It’s a magnifying glass. I start with their face, ears, neck. Then I go to their arms and legs. If they have something in the private area, I see that.”
Rane said new treatments such as an MNRA vaccine are the next phase for helping cure melanoma.
“I also reiterate to every patient I see about sun protection,” she said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean sunblock. It can be a white hat, a long sleeve shirt or long trousers.”
While those clothing types can make a hot summer day even hotter, Rane said many companies are coming out with sun protection clothing, which feels very light on the skin, and sunscreens with protection as high as SPF 50.
Rane talked about two of the more common skin cancers.
“One of the other skin cancers is basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common one,” she said. “You often see it on noses, cheeks, lips. There’s squamous cell carcinoma. That can spread into lymph nodes. You see that more on the ears, and it often visibly bleeds. Patients come in saying this is not right. I see it on the hands and forearms.”
Though many think about sun protection during the warmer months of summer, Rane said it is a year-round concerns.
“We should worry about sun protection throughout the year,” she said. “On a cloudy day, on a snowy day, we still have some UV exposure.”
Likewise, Rane does not recommend the use of tanning beds, which she said are basically UV radiation.
“It stimulates our body to produce melanin and make the tan,” she said. “They cause skin cancer. It’s a no-no. I know people like it, and sometimes, it feels good for even psoriasis, but it does increase that exposure to UV radiation.”
Rane said if she does diagnose a problem in a patient, she asked them to come to her clinic at 109 E. 11th Street in Liberal or to Southwest Medical Center for treatment. She likewise advised people, especially in this part of the world, to educate themselves about skin cancer in order to detect it early.
“That’s why I recommend yearly skin exams,” she said. “We can detect it earlier and treat it easier with less extensive surgery than your other treatments.”
The Community Health Fair is from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Seward County Activity Center, and Rane encouraged everyone to come to her booth.
“We are very welcoming,” she said. “We are experienced. We take good care of them.”
