Free skin cancer screening Saturday Free skin cancer screening Saturday (May 12, 2004)

Stanford's dermatology department are marking the beginning of the hot season with a free skin cancer screening Saturday, May 15, at the Stanford Health Library, at the Stanford Shopping Center.

The screening is on a first-come, first-served basis from 9 a.m. to noon.

Dr. Susan Swetter, an assistant professor of dermatology who is coordinating the screening, urges at-risk people to attend: older people with fair skin; people who have a history of excessive sun exposure; and those with many moles or changing marks on their skin.

More than half of all new cancers are skin cancers, and more than 1 million new cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. About 4 percent of those cases are the most dangerous kind: melanoma, which has tripled in incidence among Americans in the last 20 years.

Melanoma may appear similar to a brownish mole, but is often asymmetric or changing in size or elevation. It also can have variations in color -- from brown or black to reddish or white, according to a Stanford Medical Center information sheet.

The only known preventive measure against melanoma is sun protection in childhood, Stanford experts say. Dr. Swetter estimates that people receive about 80 percent of the damage to the skin cells' DNA -- damage that can lead to melanoma in later years -- before the age of 20.

No registration for the screening is needed. The Stanford Health Library is located next to Bloomingdale's, facing El Camino Real.

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