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GREAT RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – A skin cancer screening only takes a few minutes and doctors say it could save your life.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer, according to Dr. Paul Wright, chief of skin oncology at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids.
"It's quite likely that someone you know has been affected," Wright told 24 Hour News 8.
He said that about one in five people had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Hope Looyenga, who lives in Jenison, was the one in five.
In 2016, she informed her doctor of the presence of a mole on the back during an annual physical visit. She had been a mole since childhood, but her color, shape and size had changed. A student in a school of nursing at Grand Valley State University, she explained that she knew something was changing, but she was reluctant to mention anything to her doctor sooner.
"It was a raised mole and it was a little dark brown," Looyenga said. "Then there was another place that developed, and then it was a darker color."
Her doctor removed her but other tests revealed that she had melanoma. Worse, he had spread to the lymph nodes on both sides of his armpits.
"It was advanced at that time, I had to go through a lot of treatment, if I had that mole removed earlier or if I had a skin test earlier, she could have saved me a lot of time and heartache, "she told 24 hours a day.
Wright said that melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. It can be deadly. He explained that melanoma usually appears as a raised and painless mole. To catch it early gives the best results.
"It does not bother people, we're all busy and life is a little bit out of the way," Wright said. "And when it's not something big, it's just a relatively small place and it does not cause any symptoms, people will let these things go for a while before they get in." talk to their doctor. "
Looyegna's treatment at Spectrum's Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion helped, but just before one of the last appointments, problems came back on her left side. This has prolonged his treatment for a problem from 2016 until last month. It was at this point that she had her last treatment.
She has never had to undergo chemotherapy. Wright said that most skin cancer patients use immunotherapy or targeted therapy (oral medication).
Message from Looyenga Skin Cancer Awareness Month: do not hesitate and have it checked.
"It was moving to do (with treatment)," she said. "It's definitely not over, it's always something I need to be aware of and be very careful about for the rest of my life."
She must undergo bi-annual examinations and skin examinations three times a year.
Spectrum Health organized free skin scans at six of its sites exactly one week ago. The recently published results show that in 90 minutes, local dermatologists examined 524 people, a record number for the annual event. Nine cases of melanoma and 74 cases of less aggressive skin cancers were caught and referred for treatment.
"It could change the lives of these people," Wright said.
Wright said everyone should be screened by their doctor each year.
He explained that people with a family history of skin cancer, anterior fires or fair skin are more likely to seek a diagnosis of skin cancer. These people should have a dermatologist perform skin screening every year. Tanning beds can also increase the risk of cancer.
Wright said that a sunscreen of 30 FPS or more is recommended whenever people are outdoors for an extended period, even in the winter.
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