Advertisement But the 44-year-old Stoddard, Wis., woman noticed a mole on her back she had not seen before, so she decided to see Dr. Stephen Webster, a Gundersen Lutheran dermatologist.
They decided to watch the mole for six months, and it had grown by her next appointment. In November 2006, Nickelatti found out it was melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, but she had detected it in the early stages. Since then, she has had a few moles removed.
“I was not a sun worshipper, but I went out in the sun and didn’t worry about it,” Nickelatti said. “I admitted to Dr. Webster that I used a tanning bed before.”
Now she wears sunscreen when she goes out in the sun and routinely checks her skin.
“I wasn’t vigilant before, and now I am,” Nickelatti said.
She said a free skin cancer screening Saturday at Gundersen Lutheran’s clinic in Onalaska, Wis., is a good time to check those suspicious-looking moles.
Dermatologists from Gundersen Lutheran, Franciscan Skemp and Winona Clinic are collaborating for the 23rd year as part of the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual national campaign to promote the prevention, early detection and treatment options of skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States.
“Early detection is the key,” Nickelatti said. “I could have ignored that mole, but then it would be a whole other game for me. I’d be doing treatments.”
In 2007, the local screening found 27 skin cancers, including two melanoma, and 109 people with precancerous changes among 227 seen at the screening. At the 2006 screening, doctors found 99 skin cancers, including six melanoma, and 236 people with precancerous changes among 406 people.
Webster said skin cancer cases outnumber other cancers combined in the United States — 1.35 million skin cancers compared with 1.2 million for all other cancers in 2007.
When Webster was a medical resident in the early 1960s, the risk for melanoma was 1 in 600. Now it is 1 in 70 to 75.
“Melanoma was once rare, but now I see it commonly,” Webster said. “The bulk of my practice is seeing skin cancer because my patients have gotten older, and I now see the damage of the sun from their youth.”
He said doctors don’t have good treatment for melanoma, which is the most rapidly growing of skin cancers. But Webster said good treatments are available for common skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
“If you catch melanoma early, then you can treat it early and make a big difference,” Webster said. “The good news is, we’re seeing it earlier because people seem to be checking more for suspicious moles and other skin changes.”
That’s why deaths from melanoma have not gone up as dramatically as the incidence, he said.
Dr. Michael White, a Franciscan Skemp dermatologist, said he sees more melanoma per capita in the La Crosse area than any other place he has practiced as a physician.
“Perhaps we don’t take the precautions we need to,” White said. “I also see a lot of farmers who don’t get to a doctor.”
It is estimated that 50,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year, he said. “With 10,000 dermatologists nationwide, I should see five melanomas a year, but I see many, many more than that.”
White said he also sees plenty of people for the two other less serious skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
“Those cancers don’t kill, but I cut chunks out of people’s noses,” White said. “What gives me more business is those who smoke and bask in the sun. I fix their wrinkles and cut out skin cancers.”
Webster, former president of the American Academy of Dermatology, said he has been on a mission for more than 35 years preaching sun protection measures, especially the use of sunscreen.
“I think we take our skin for granted,” Webster said. “Sun damage and skin cancer are like smoking and lung cancer. I tell people that if they protect their face from the sun, it’s the best facelift they can do.”
Like with any health promotion, White said it’s difficult to get people to change their behaviors.
“But with the skin, we can see things, and we can detect things early,” White said. “I can’t see high blood pressure.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Free skin cancer screening clinic
WHEN: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday
WHERE: Dermatology department on the third floor at Gundersen Lutheran’s Onalaska clinic
DETAILS: Dermatologists from Gundersen Lutheran, Franciscan Skemp and Winona Clinic are doing the screening. An exam generally takes only five to seven minutes.
APPOINTMENTS: Call Gundersen Lutheran at (608) 775-6700.
What is Melanoma?
Deadly but detectable: The most serious kind of skin cancer, melanoma can be successfully treated with surgery if it’s found early.
Risk factors: Fair skin (never tan, often burn); spending much time outdoors; living in a sunny area; having had peeling burns in youth; family history of melanoma
The ABCDs:
Asymmetrical: Uneven from side to side; common moles are round
Border irregular: Edge jagged or not well defined
Color varied: Unlike a mole, has dark and light areas, varied colors
Diameter: Larger than 1/4 inch (size of a pencil eraser)
Don’t forget E: Dermatologists add an “E” to the ABCDs of melanoma detection, which stands for evolving, enlarging or exceptional. “When you see a mole changing, see a dermatologist right away,” said Dr. Michael White. “Paying attention to E could save someone’s life.”
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8227 .
