A Melanoma Diagnosis is a 3-Part Process, Dermatologist Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, Explains

Skin cancer is incredibly common, especially nonmelanoma cancers like squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, began in an interview with Patient Care. In fact, 1 in 5 US adults will be diagnosed with a skin cancer over a lifetime. The prevalence of melanoma, less common but more likely to become life-threatening than the other 2 types, appears to be increasing, Hartman added, and yet the reasons are not completely clear. In the short video above she offers a snapshot of skin cancer in the US and then focuses on the factors that may be contributing to a rise in the number of melanoma diagnoses.

Rebecca Hartman, MD, MPH, is assistant professor of dermatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and associate chief of the dermatology section at the VA Boston Healthcare System, in Boston, MA. Hartman's clinical practice is focused on melanoma and general dermatology while her research interests are in skin cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.