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In Light of World Cancer Day, Protect Yourself!

Jan 27, 2014 | General

WORLD CANCER DAY 2014

On February 4, people around the globe will join an international initiative to encourage the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer through 2014 World Cancer Day.

This year, the event is even more pressing than years before: a recent study conducted by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the American Cancer Society predicts that if current trends continue, the global burden of new cancer cases will surge from 12.7 million in 2008 to 22.2 million by 2030.

And of all forms of cancer, skin cancer is the most common type in the United States—the American Academy of Dermatology estimates that one in five Americans will develop it as some point.

Jennifer Lee, M.D., a Harvard Medical School graduate and faculty member at both Harvard and Vanderbilt universities, is the medical director here at REN Dermatology in Franklin, Tenn. Our clinic specializes in all aspects of General Dermatology, including skin cancer.

For prevention, Dr. Lee encourages the public to schedule regular skin cancer screenings, to detect early signs of skin cancer that can be treated with success.

  • Schedule regular skin cancer screenings with your dermatologist.
  • Avoid the sun when its rays are the strongest—which is typically 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Use a sunscreen each day with a SPF of 30 or higher with frequent re-applications throughout the day (even in the winter, or when you don’t think you’ll be exposed directly to the sun).
  • Perform self skin exams to evaluate skin changes of any kind.

A 2013 Mayo Clinic survey revealed that for people under 40, the incidence of melanoma has increased eightfold among women and fourfold among men from 1979 to 2009. But Dr. Lee says that individuals can protect themselves through the aforementioned several simple steps each day.

More about Dr. Jennifer Lee:

Dr. Lee was named Vanderbilt’s Teacher of the Year in the Division of Dermatology in 2013, and was recently honored as one of Nashville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.”

REN offices are located just off of I-65 at Hwy 96 and Carothers Parkway, adjacent to the Williamson Medical Center in the Armana Center. To learn more about the clinic, call (615) 835-3220.