A New Resource for the Fight Against Skin Cancer

The Skin Cancer Education & Research Foundation (SCERF), in collaboration with Terranova Medica, LLC, is pleased to announce the launch of its new website, skincancerinfo.org. This free website is dedicated to providing the general public and patients—as well as their families and caregivers—with information, resources, and social support in the fight against nonmelanoma skin cancer. As a sister site to the AIM at Melanoma Foundation website, the Skin Cancer Education & Research Foundation website brings the unique offerings and expertise of the most successful melanoma advocacy organization to take aim at the epidemic of nonmelanoma skin cancer.

The website was developed to meet the need for a comprehensive website and an online community specifically focused on nonmelanoma skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell skin cancer. Many patients concerned about these skin cancers have used the AIM at Melanoma resources to connect with other patients with skin cancer and seek reliable information. Their questions and requests helped drive the features and content of the new Skin Cancer Education & Research Foundation site. According to Valerie Guild, MBA, MS, “Patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer needed a place to go for reliable information specific to their needs and a social community to connect with. We are pleased by this opportunity to make a difference in nonmelanoma skin cancer, expanding our network and resources further to fight skin cancer more globally.”

The Skin Cancer Education & Research Foundation website features tips on prevention (including information on sun safety, early-detection, and indoor tanning) as well as information on recognizing, staging, treating, and living with nonmelanoma skin cancer. It also offers specific navigational and support tools, including a physician finder for both early-stage and advanced skin cancers, an Ask-the-Expert Feature, and a clinical trial matching service. According to the site’s clinical reviewer, Laura Ferris, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh, “This a great resource for patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer to learn about their diagnosis and treatment options as well as ways to prevent future skin cancers.”

The vision is for the Skin Cancer Education & Research Foundation website to grow to become a more comprehensive resource, much like AIM at Melanoma. Priorities are to develop a strong social media presence, materials to support healthcare providers, video resources, research initiatives, and legislative support. The recent emergence of systemic therapies to manage the more advanced cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer creates educational needs and opportunities. According to Ms. Guild, “We envision the website as a virtual resource where health care providers and patients find everything they need to know about skin cancer.”

The Skin Cancer Education & Research Foundation wishes to thank Laura Ferris, MD, PhD, for clinical review of the site as well as Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Genzyme, and Genentech, a Member of the Roche Group, for supporting the website.

ABOUT NONMELANOMA SKIN CANCER: More than 5.4 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer were treated in 2012 (the most recent year for which there are statistics). While the majority of nonmelanoma skin cancers can be cured if found and treated early, some patients have high-risk skin cancers that can be difficult to treat. In the United States, approximately 7,000 people die every year from squamous cell skin cancer, and others will suffer disfigurement from aggressive forms of skin cancer. Although basal cell carcinoma is rarely fatal, it is the most common cancer diagnosed in the United States and can also be disfiguring when it takes on an aggressive form.