Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Lumps, Bumps & Spots: Harmless or skin cancer?


Thursday, September 12 - 7:00 p.m.

Most brown spots, rough bumps and persistent lumps on the skin are not skin cancer. Some are related to sun exposure and some merely represent normal skin aging. Education regarding signs and symptoms of skin cancers can help people identify suspicious skin lesions. DR. PHILLIP LEE will discuss the typical features of skin cancers and features of the most common types of harmless spots, bumps, and growths. He will also discuss the various options available for treatment of these skin lesions.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. It is estimated that over 3.5 million non-melanoma cases are diagnosed every year.* The three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer, and melanoma. While melanoma is the least common of the three, it is the most deadly. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 76,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed and over 9000 people are expected to die of melanoma in 2013. Diligent sun protection can help prevent skin cancers and screening for skin cancers can help diagnose skin cancers at their earliest stages.

Phillip H. A. Lee, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology. Nominated by his local peers, he received the Pasadena Magazine Top Doctors Award in Dermatology. Born in Glendale and raised in Pasadena, Dr. Lee earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, graduating summa cum laude in biology. He earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He received a laboratory research fellowship at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla, CA after which he went on to complete dermatology residency at the UC San Diego Medical Center. He served as chief resident during his final year of residency. Dr. Lee is part of the volunteer faculty of University of Southern California, Department of Dermatology. For his teaching, the dermatology residents awarded him the Outstanding Teaching Award in Medical Dermatology. In addition to English, Dr. Lee, who happens to be half Chilean, also speaks fluent Spanish.

Light refreshments will be served.
* http://www.cancer.org/research/index