SEATTLE — It may surprise some, but skin cancer and melanoma rates in Washington are on the rise according to the Washington State Department of Health.
And with the stretch of sunny days in the forecast, the Skin Cancer Foundation is on a mission to screen more people through their traveling RV hitting Seattle this weekend.
It's part of the foundation's Destination Healthy Skin program where volunteer dermatologists provide free skin cancer screenings to the public on a first come, first serve basis.
"If we're able to pick up melanoma cancer confined to the skin, the five-year survival rate is at least 99%, but if the melanoma cancer spreads to let's say the lymph nodes, the five-year survival is 77%," said Dr. Steven Greene, a dermatologist and clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington.
To combat rising rates, Greene said the guidelines for sunscreen have changed from SPF 15 30 years ago to SPF 45, 50 or even 60 today.
"Sunscreen is so important especially here in the Pacific Northwest where we are such an outdoors community," Greene said.
Since rolling the RV through Seattle in 2008, the Skin Cancer Foundation has hosted 14 screening events and performed 400 skin exams identifying 164 suspected skin cancers and precancers since 2008.
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The traveling RV will be in Seattle on Sunday and Monday at Lake Union Park. These free skin cancer screenings will be available to the public from 10-4 p.m. on Sunday and 1-4 p.m. on Monday.