If you combine all skin cancers, they represent the most common type of cancer in the United States. And approximately one in five Americans will eventually get skin cancer.
As a world-renowned cancer surgeon and department chair of Moffitt's Cutaneous Oncology Program, Dr. Vernon Sondak has seen the number of skin cancer cases - particularly melanoma - rise year after year. The good news, he says, is that if melanoma is caught and treated early, through skin cancer screening, it can almost always be curable.
By educating yourself and protecting your skin, you will greatly improve your odds of getting this disease. Watch Dr. Sondak's interview below to learn more about melanoma treatment and other skin cancers - and how you can help prevent them.
- Meet Dr. Vernon Sondak, Chair of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology.
- What first drew you to the skin cancer field?
- How common is skin cancer in America?
- Can you tell me about some of the most common types of skin cancer, and how they differ?
- Why does melanoma get so much attention in the media?
- Is melanoma curable?
- After it spreads, why is it so challenging to treat?
- What kind of sunscreen guidelines do you typically recommend for protection?
- Are there other ways to protect yourself outdoors?
- Are tanning beds more or less dangerous than the sun?
- Besides sun exposure, what are some other causes of skin cancer?
- What would you tell me if I've just been diagnosed with skin cancer?
- What are some treatment options for skin cancer?
- What is the Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center at Moffit?
- Do children get melanoma?
- Why have melanoma rates risen over the years?
