Melanoma Awareness & Education

This month is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the importance of skin cancer prevention, early detection and treatment.

There are more than one million skin cancers diagnosed each year in the U.S. That’s more than all other cancers combined. Each hour one person dies from melanoma. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young adults 25-29 and, the second most common for young people 15-29. Between 1992 and 2004, melanoma incidence increased 45%. One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life. Indoor UV (ultraviolet) tanners are 74% more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. So, remember to see your dermatologist for a complete body check. Remind your family and friends to do the same. Skin cancer is preventable AND, melanoma if caught early can be cured!

During this month, we will begin our extensive public awareness campaign which will feature:

· Public Service Ads in New York City taxis

· Posters in NYC subways

· Long Island Rail Road car PSA’s

· Full page print ads in: “In Style”, “Elle”, “Cooking Light”, and “O”

· Yankee radio initiative, alerting fans about the necessity of sun protection

· Major TV network public service advertisements

May 1st

John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack UMC, 92 Second St., Hackensack, NJ, first come, first served

May 3rd

NYU Langone Medical Center, 1:30-5:00, Charles C. Harris & Cancer Pavilion, First Ave. & 31st St. Call 212-263-2627 for more info

May 4th

Rite Aid, 1300 Willow Avenue, Hoboken, NJ (Road to Healthy Skin Tour)

May 5th

Stony Brook Dermatology, East Setauket, NY, Julie Bouziotis 631-444-4272 need app’t

Montefiore-Einstein Center for Cancer Care, 9:00-2:00, Jen Matos 718-920-2680 Walk-ins welcomed

Good Samaritan Hospital, West Islip, NY, 9:00-12:00, Walk-ins welcomed

Stony Brook University Hospital, call 631-444-4000, Health Connect to schedule

May 7th

Franklin Hospital, Valley Stream, NY  Audrey Tullo 516-256-6397, need app’t

May 8th

Columbia University Medical Center, Herbert Irving Pavilion, 161 Fort Washington Ave., 12th Fl

And 16 East 60th Street, 3rd Floor, 2:00-5:30

May 9th

Lincoln Center, 62nd Street (Broadway & Columbus), NYC , 11:00-4:00 (Road to Healthy Skin)

West 86, an Atria Residence, 333 West 86th Street, NY, NY 10024, 1:00-4:00pm

May 11th

Weill Cornell Medical Center, 1:00-4:30 York Avenue, 9th Floor

May 12th

Huntington Hospital, Huntington, NY, 8:30-11:30, Gail Probst 631-351-2568, need an app’t

Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group, 1 World’s Fair Drive, Suite 2400, Somerset, NJ – Free, but call to register:  732-235-5782

May 16th

Glen Cove Hospital, Glen Cove, NY, contact Chris Reynolds, RN 516-674-7833 for app’t

May 17th

Memorial Sloan Kettering, NYC, call Dr. Kishwer Nehal for app’t

Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hauppauge, 800 Veterans Memorial Highway, 2nd Floor, 9:30-3:00 – Call 631-863-5100 for appointment

John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack Hospital UMC, 92 Second Street, Hackensack partnering with the Promise Foundation, first come, first served

June 25th

92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10128, 2:30-6:00pm. Screening conducted in FPA.

July 21st

Jones Beach State Park, 1 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, NY 11793, 8:00am-4:00pm

Mollie’s Fund Launches Android Version of FREE App for Skin Cancer Awareness

Garden City, New York – The Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation, www.molliesfund.org has announced the launch of an Android OS version of their informational skin cancer app which was previously launched for iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad). The new Android version can be downloaded free from the Android Market.

Mollie’s Fund, with the assistance of MCS Advertising and Arc Design Studio, created this interactive guide to provide users with facts about the evolution of skin cancer and melanoma. The application illustrates a self-exam, exhibits mole changes and reinforces behaviors to protect against skin cancer. The program emphasizes the necessity of a professional dermatology examination and includes a monthly skin check log to keep track of monthly examinations.

Current estimates state over 130 million Android users will be able to receive this valuable health resource in addition to over 200 million iOS users.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. One person each hour dies from melanoma. Melanoma can be cured—if diagnosed and treated early. This initiative supports the mission of Mollie’s Fund of creating programs for education and prevention of skin cancer and melanoma.

For more information about the Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation, visit, www.molliesfund.org

October 9th, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill officially making it a law banning the use of commercial tanning beds for those under 18 years old. This will go into effect January 1, 2012. California is the FIRST state in the nation to ban minors from the lethally dangerous ultraviolet-emitting radiation from tanning beds.

Three new drugs can significantly increase survival rates in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Yervoy (ipilimumab) is a novel type of cancer drug that works by unleashing the body’s own immune system to fight a tumor.

Vermurafenib targets the V600E mutation in a gene called BRAF, which is involved in cell growth. One study showed this oral medication decreased the risk of death by 63%.

On August 17th, Zelboraf, won approval from the FDA for melanoma patients with tumors with a genetic mutation known as BRAF V600E. It was approved with a test that can determine if a patient’s cancer has the mutation. The mutation produces a version of a protein that is normally involved in regulating cell growth. The protein is mutated in about half of patients with advanced melanoma.

These three important advances in the treatment of melanoma could lead to a combination approach.

Anna C. Pavlick, DO gave a talk at the 2011 Annual Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation Golf Outing about the recent advancements of new life saving drugs (Yervoy-Ipilimumab and Zelbraf-Vemurafenib) that can significantly increase survival rates in patients with metastatic melanoma.