Prevention, Risk and Screening »Risk Assessment at Fox Chase »Skin Cancer

For men and women with a personal or family history of melanoma

The Melanoma Risk Assessment program , is the newest component of Fox Chase Cancer Center's comprehensive program for melanoma. It provides risk assessment, prevention and early detection of melanoma and complements our state-of-the-art services of staging and treatment.

What This Program Can Do for You

Melanoma Risk Assessment can help you benefit from present and future knowledge about cancer risks. Our staff is dedicated to helping people prevent melanoma and other forms of skin cancer by understanding their personal and family risk and learning ways to reduce it. Talk to us about your eligibility for the assessment program at
215-214-1448 or 1-877-627-9684 on weekdays.

What is Melanoma?

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, with a total of more than one million new cases in the United States. Skin cancers are broadly defined as melanoma, the most serious form, and non-melanomas, the most common forms. Non-melanoma skin cancers are usually basal-cell or squamous-cell types, which are both highly curable.

Melanoma takes its name from the type of cell where it starts — the melanocytes — which produce the skin's color or pigment, called melanin. Although melanoma accounts for only about 4 percent of skin cancer cases in the U.S., it causes about 79 percent of deaths from skin cancer.

This is because melanoma does not remain on the surface of the skin but can invade internal organs of the body unless the cancer is detected and removed at an early stage.

We can develop a personal screening plan for you that will help you detect changes in moles or new growths that might be melanoma.

Eligibility

You are eligible for Melanoma Risk Assessment at Fox Chase Cancer Center if you have one of the following risk factors:

• at least one first-degree relative-parent, brother, sister, son or daughter-who has had melanoma;
• a personal history of melanoma.

Benefits of Participation

Participants in the Melanoma Risk Assessment program receive education, personal risk assessment and recommendations for physical screening. Skin screening exams are available as well as the opportunity to take part in clinical studies. Your health insurance may cover screening procedures, depending on your plan.

When you enroll, you will receive the following services:

• Information session with a health educator explaining known and suspected risk factors for melanoma;
• An explanation of screening guidelines and prevention options;
• A personal screening plan with recommendations tailored to your needs;
• An opportunity to further cancer research by participating in a registry.

Screening Recommendations

Recommendations for skin cancer screening may include:

• routine self-examinations of the skin;
• regularly scheduled skin screening exams by a dermatologist;
• overview photographs as a tool to aid early detection of changing pigmented lesions.

You may choose to have screening at Fox Chase or by your own dermatologist.