FL H9047

Designates May 2012 as "Skin Cancer Awareness Month" in the State of Florida

Melanoma is the most common form of cancer among people 25 to 29 years old, with incidence doubling over the past two decades and over 120,000 new cases occurring annually

Five-year survival rate for melanoma is 98 percent when detected early before spreading to lymph nodes, but drops to 62 percent at regional stage and 16 percent at distant stage

Primary causes of melanoma include excessive ultraviolet radiation exposure, particularly multiple sunburns during childhood and exposure to tanning devices at a young age

Most effective detection methods include visual self-inspection for changes in moles and annual complete skin examinations by a dermatologist for high-risk individuals