May is Melanoma Awareness Month, which is the third most common type of cancer, with one in five Americans developing a type of skin cancer in their lifetime.
In the latest episode of the Prescribed Listening podcast, host Tessa Lackey discusses how
to recognize the signs of skin cancer and how to prevent it with Dr. Danae Hamouda from UTMC’s Department of Oncology and Hematology.
Melanoma can present differently than other skin cancers, but Hamouda said that using the acronym “ABCDE” — asymmetrical, borders, color, diameter and evolving — helps.
“If you notice on a mole that it looks a bit asymmetrical or not totally circular, maybe looks a little bit oblong, that can be a concerning feature,” Hamouda said. “If the borders around the mole look irregular, that’s another sign that could be a melanoma. If the color within the mole looks different — so if it looks darker in one area and lighter in another — that can also be more concerning.”
The size of the mole is also something to look for, she said. The size of the mole that we’re looking for is about a quarter of an inch or six millimeters, so if the size of the mole is larger than that, it’s something that should be monitored.
“Or if you notice that your mole that you’ve been monitoring has changed or evolved over time, that’s also a concerning feature,” Hamouda said.
And if a new bruise or scab on your skin keeps healing and coming back, it also may be time to discuss it with your doctor.
Staying up to date on your skin cancer screenings can seem uncomfortable, Hamouda said, but they want everyone to feel at ease.
“It is important to have that full evaluation, especially if you have risk factors or a personal history, as this is how we detect earlier diagnoses for melanoma, which has an improvement in the outcomes,” she said. “It’s intimidating to think about, but we’ll do everything we can to make you feel at ease. And it’s important because it can be really impactful for your life.”
You can schedule an appointment with Hamouda through the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center at 419.383.6644.
To review the podcast’s entire library of episodes, go to the UTMC Prescribed Listening website.
New episodes of Prescribed Listening will be released through spring semester.
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