RECOMMENDATIONS from MD Anderson Cancer Center

05-11-2021

Skin Cancer Screening Exams https://www.mdanderson.org/prevention-screening/get-screened/skin-cancer-screening.html

 

Skin cancer screening is recommended only for adults at increased risk. That’s because they have a higher chance of getting the disease.

Being at increased risk doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get skin cancer. But, you may need to start regular screening exams. So if you do get skin cancer, your doctor finds it at its earliest stage. When found early, the chances for successfully treating the disease are greatest.

Along with regular exams, practice awareness. This means you should be familiar with your skin. That way you’ll notice changes. Then, report them to your doctor without delay.

Promptly show your doctor any:

• Suspicious skin area

• Sore that doesn’t heal

• Change in a mole or freckle

Get a full-body skin cancer screening exam every year if you identify with one or more of the groups below:

Inherited risks

• Red hair and freckles albinism

• More than 50 moles

• Family history of melanoma

• Genetic syndromes that make you sensitive to the sun

Environmental exposures

• Too much sun exposure

• Frequent trips to the tanning salon

• One or more blistering sunburn(s)

Personal pre-cancerous conditions

• Actinic keratosis

• Dysplastic nevi (unusual moles)

• Personal skin cancer history

• Basal and squamous cell cancer

Prior treatment

• Radiation treatment

• Immunosuppressive treatment

• Other cancer treatments that increase risk

Exams for those who have had melanoma

If you have had melanoma (a type of skin cancer), you need a different plan to check for cancer recurrence.