Tune in to CancerEducation.com for American Cancer Society Webcast on skin cancer

American Cancer Society
Wednesday, 3 May 2000

With the glories of spring now in full bud, summer is just around the corner. And May is Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. So CancerEducation.com and the American Cancer Society have teamed up to present a six-part lecture series that offers the basics of skin cancer and the fundamentals of avoiding it. The series is available for viewing now at www.cancereducation.com.

The wide-ranging patient-friendly talks, each about 15 minutes long, are by Ted S. Gansler, M.D., of the American Cancer Society. He tackles such topics as basic skin anatomy, the sun and skin cancer, inspecting your own body-- particularly for melanoma—and diagnosis and treatment.

The video lectures will be accessible anytime during the next six months at the CancerEducation.com website (www.cancereducation.com).

"We at the American Cancer Society have the message – and CancerEducation.com has the type of far-reaching, authoritative vehicle through

which we can collaboratively increase the public's awareness of skin cancer," Dr. Gansler said.

Michael S. Weiss, chief executive officer of CancerEducation.com, said he welcomed the opportunity to help foster the American Cancer Society's skin-cancer mission. "Summer is nearly here, and no time is better than now to watch Dr. Gansler's fascinating presentations," said Weiss.

The Webcast is the third of a series of Internet collaborations between CancerEducation.com and the American Cancer Society. Earlier Dr. Gansler presented an hour-long talk in March that kicked off the first national Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. In April, CancerEducation.com brought to the Internet the full, 3 ? days of the American Cancer Society's 42nd Annual Science Writers Seminar, a total of 38 talks on women's cancers, prostate cancer, complementary therapies, and a variety of other subjects. The fruits of both earlier ACS-CancerEducation.com collaborations remain available to the public at any time at www.cancereducation.com.

In the skin cancer series, Dr. Gansler offers a primer on getting to know your skin, the different kinds of skin cancer, and the importance of head-to-toe examinations (including the soles of your feet) to recognize suspicious skin areas that may be melanoma, basal-cell, or squamous-cell carcinoma.

He talks about the more common varieties of skin cancer, such as basal-cell or squamous-cell carcinomas, and how most cases can be cured. He also talks about malignant melanoma and how important it is to be suspicious of what may be a melanoma on your skin and the need to be treated early.

Dr. Gansler explains the role of medical history, physical examination, and biopsy in the diagnosis and evaluation of skin cancers.

In the treatment segment, he explains what doctors mean when they rattle off such terms as lymph-node dissection, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy, chemoprevention with retinoids, and chemotherapy in the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers. Dr. Gansler also suggests important questions to ask your physician.

Finally, Dr. Gansler discusses melanoma staging and treatment. He explains what sentinel-lymph-node biopsy means, and how excision, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy—including IL-2, interferon-alfa, and vaccines—may come into the picture. Dr. Gansler also discusses clinical trials, emerging therapies, and suggests questions to ask your physician, and how to take an active role in your treatment.

Many people think they're not at risk for skin cancer, yet it's the most common of all cancers and accounts for about half of all cases in the US. According to the American Cancer Society, some 47,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma this year, and 7,700 Americans are expected to die of the disease. Melanoma accounts for about 4% of skin cancer cases, but causes about 79% of skin cancer deaths. About 1.3 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are diagnosed in this country every year; this year an estimated 1,900 people will die of nonmelanoma skin cancer.

About CancerEducation.com:

CancerEducation.com, a member of the MedClips.com Network, is a novel website dedicated to providing the global community of oncology professionals and cancer patients and their families and friends direct access to the latest advances in cancer treatments and diagnostic procedures. The site, www.cancereducation.com, provides critical and highly credible information about more than 20 forms of cancer, primarily in an audio/video format that is interactive, timely and convenient.

About the American Cancer Society:

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.

For information about cancer, call toll-free anytime 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the American Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org.

Webcast Information:

"Skin-Cancer Basics," by Ted S. Gansler, M.D., Medical Director, Health Content, American Cancer Society. Premiering May 3 on www.cancereducation.com

For more information, or to contact American Cancer Society, see their website at: www.cancer.org