FEATURED Medical education topic: Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people diagnosed annually. One in five Americans will develop a form of skin cancer in their lifetime. Nearly 800,000 people live with a history of melanoma, and 13 million with non-melanoma skin cancer, typically diagnosed as basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Actinic keratosis, the most common pre-cancer, affects more than 58 million Americans. The majority of people diagnosed with melanoma are white men over the age of 50, representing one of only three cancers with increasing mortality rates for men, along with liver cancer and esophageal cancer. Only 48 percent of melanomas in African Americans are diagnosed at an early stage versus 74 percent in Hispanics and 84 percent in Caucasians; therefore, the overall melanoma survival rate for African Americans is 77 percent versus 91 percent for Caucasians. Early diagnosis and treatment are the key to higher survival rates among all populations. Physicians should be aware of types of skin lesions that are suspicious and current, whether the new therapies available do benefit their patients, and know when to refer to a skin cancer specialist. 

Proposed Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this activity, the learners will be able to:

• Summarize the epidemiology, biology, pathology, and types of skin cancers
• Employ appropriate diagnosis and prevention strategies for skin cancers
• Identify and diagnose benign versus suspicious moles and strategize biopsy
• Choose current treatment modalities for skin cancer, and refer when necessary
• Assess the latest management options for patients with skin cancer
• Recognize patients at higher risk, such as African-Americans and Hispanics, which have a higher incidence and mortality rate than Caucasians

If your medical staff needs an update on skin cancer, consider contacting our office to book a speaker at 877-505-4777 or info@speakersnetwork.com.

Download the PDF on this topic: http://speakersnetwork.com/forms/SkinCancer.pdf

References:

https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/

https://www.aad.org/media/stats-skin-cancer