NORTHAMPTON – The Cooley Dickinson Hospital Cancer Care Program announces its annual skin cancer screening clinic Wednesday, May 23, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. The screening is free and open to all; people without health insurance or those who are underinsured are encouraged to attend.

MaryEllen Walsh, director of the Cancer Care Program, says skin cancer can develop anywhere on the body, but is most common on skin that is often exposed to sunlight, such as on the face, neck, hands, and arms. Skin cancer is also the most common type of cancer and it is also one of the most preventable

The risk factors for non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers include:
• unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation;
• a fair complexion;
• family history;
• severe sunburns, especially as a child;
• multiple or atypical moles; and
• occupational exposures to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds or radium.

Registration for the skin cancer screening clinic is required. To make an appointment, call (888) 554-4CDH (234) or visit www.cooley-dickinson.org/Main/ClassesEvents.aspx.