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Research Outline
Prepared for Avichag S. | Delivered October 8, 2019
Incurable Skin Cancer and Melanoma Cases
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Goals
To determine the number of incurable skin cancer and melanoma cases due to late detection and the available solutions in order to boost early detection and public awareness.
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Early Findings
When discussing skin cancer, there are usually two major classifications:
nonmelanoma skin cancers and melanoma
.
The
nonmelanoma cancers vary in severity
, but are generally not as aggressive and deadly as melanoma cancers.
Melanoma
is much more dangerous, but is still highly survivable once detected early.
Stage 4 melanoma is infinitely more dangerous. In the past, nearly all stage 4 patients died of the disease. However, chances of survival at a late stage have
improved dramatically
.
While invasive melanoma makes up only about 1% of all skin cancer cases, it accounts for the majority of
skin cancer deaths
.
It is estimated
7,230 Americans will die of melanoma in 2019
.
However, the death rate for melanoma has decreased in US adults by
2-4%
.
As of 2018, the 5-year
survival rate for metastatic Stage IV melanoma is 22.5%
.
In 2019, it is estimated that there will be over
96,000
cases of melanoma of the skin, with just over
7,200
of these cases leading to death.
In order to improve chances of early detection, the American Cancer Society recommends
regular skin self-exams
.
It is also recommended that
healthcare professionals include skin exams
as part of the routine checkup for their patients.
Work is currently being done on a
small inexpensive probe
that can distinguish between harmless moles and cancerous ones in seconds.
News corporations like
CBS
and websites such as
The Healthy
have devoted time and resources to speaking with professionals in order to spread awareness of skin cancer and deadly melanoma.
Programs like the
SPOTme program
exist with the aim of facilitating early detection by providing free screenings to anyone who is unable to see a dermatologist.
A strategy called
mole mapping
also exists for people at risk of malignant melanoma.
Mole mapping involves a
clinical skin exam and dermoscopy
to identify concerning trends and areas.
A melanoma also has distinguishing characteristics known commonly as
the ABCDEs
to help patients know what to look for.
Asymmetrical moles, unusual colors, and unusually large diameter size
of moles are some of the features that make up the ABCDEs.
A
National Center for Biotechnology Information
study concluded that introducing skin self-examinations (SSE) to women already invested in preventive health would promote deadly skin cancer awareness.
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