SAN ANTONIO (May 4, 2011) – Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, and with another South Texas summer coming on, it will be the topic of the next free public lecture at the UT Health Science Center’s Cancer Therapy & Research Center.
“Skin Cancer: What does it look like, and what should I do?” was the title that speaker Sandra Osswald, M.D., suggested for her May 12 lecture because “those are the questions I get every day.”
Dr. Osswald, chief of the Health Science Center’s Division of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery in the School of Medicine, will discuss the three basic types of skin cancer, as well as the several available treatments.
“The treatment depends on the cancer type, the size, whether it is aggressive and where it is,” Dr. Osswald said, “but we have many options available, both medical and surgical — including Mohs surgery.”
She’ll also talk about what may be warning signs in new and changing spots on the skin, and how those with more skin pigmentation, such as blacks and Hispanics, are also susceptible, although they may not be as aware of the risks.
Anybody who walks into the dermatology clinic, located at the CTRC, gets the opportunity for a full examination.
“We try to offer full skin exams to every new patient who wishes it,” Dr. Osswald said. “Some people are surprised, but we don’t want to miss something that we could have identified early.”
Thursday’s presentation will be from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center, 7979 Wurzbach, San Antonio, Texas, on the 4th floor of the Grossman Building. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 210-450-1152.
The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the elite academic cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center, and is one of only four in Texas. A leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) conducts one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net.