MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
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Dr. Desiree Ratner[/caption]
Desiree Ratner, MD
Director, Comprehensive Skin Cancer Program,
Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Professor of Dermatology
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedicalResearch.com: How big is the problem of skin cancer in the US?
Dr. Ratner: Skin cancer is an enormous problem in the United States and the numbers are increasing every year. There are over 2 million cases of basal cell carcinoma per year, over 700,000 cases of squamous cell carcinoma per year, and over 140,000 cases of melanoma per year in the U.S. alone.
MedicalResearch.com: What type of patients do you evaluate and treat?
Dr. Ratner: My practice is limited to skin cancer, so most of my patients are referred to me by general dermatologists for surgery. I see patients who require Mohs surgery for non-melanoma skin cancers, excisions for non-melanoma skin cancers, and other surgical procedures for a variety of other benign and malignant lesions.
Dr. Orit Markowitz[/caption]
Orit Markowitz, MD, FAAD
Director of Pigmented Lesions and Skin Cancer
Assistant Professor of Dermatology
Mount Sinai Medical Center, NY, NY
Director of Pigmented lesions clinic
Brooklyn VA, Brooklyn, NY
Adjunct Professor, Dermatology
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Chief of Dermatology
Queens General Hospital, Jamaica, NY
MedicalResearch.com: How common is skin cancer? Is the incidence rising in US adults? Who is most at risk?
Dr. Markowitz: The annual incidence of skin cancer is more than breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer combined. Of the 7 most common skin cancers in the US melanoma is the only one whose incidence is increasing. The highest risk group for skin cancer are fair skin, adults with a history of sun exposure.