Melanoma is the most serious cancer of the skin. The National Cancer Institute estimates that close to 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma a year; in 2007, melanoma claimed the lives of more than 8,000 Americans. Penn State Hershey Medical Center is pioneering a new way to combat this growing problem in central Pennsylvania. Under the guidance of Rogerio Neves, M.D., Ph.D, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute has formed the Skin Oncology Clinic. Fitting within the University’s goals of clinical care, research, education and community outreach, the goal of the clinic is to give melanoma patients a multidisciplinary approach to their disease. The program and its affiliated physicians will be responsible for the diagnosis, staging, clinical and/or surgical treatment, reconstruction and follow-up for patients with melanoma. Meeting every Tuesday, patients with newly or previously diagnosed melanomas will arrive to their clinic appointments and meet with the appropriate subspecialists at the same visit. This represents a collaboration between many departments:
In addition to improving patient care coordination, ancillary goals of the program include the implementation of education campaigns for the awareness and prevention of skin cancer, the education of residents and medical students in conjunction with the monthly Melanoma Conference, and the initiation of clinical trials and drug studies. The clinic is currently seeing patients in the University Physician Center, Plastic Surgery Clinic, Suite 3200 and the Cancer Institute. If you, or anyone you know, has been recently, or previously, diagnosed with melanoma and would like to be cared for at the Skin Oncology Center, please call 717-531-8952.
