Massage therapists are on the front lines of skin-cancer detection, and in a position to refer clients to skin-care specialists.
Early detection remains a key factor in lowering mortality from malignant melanoma, according to new information from the American Cancer Society
Darrell S. Rigel, M.D. and colleagues from the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine say that, despite all of the advances in melanoma diagnosis, timely recognition, detection, and rapid treatment of melanoma remain critical, according to an American Cancer Society press release.
“Although examining tumor cells under a microscope remains the gold standard for diagnosing melanoma, it is one of very few cancers that has the potential to be diagnosed at an early stage through noninvasive approaches because it appears on the outside of the body,” the release stated.
Their report appears online on CA First Look, and will appear in the September/October issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.