M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center Cancer Alert begins: Free Skin Cancer Check
GILBERT (July 8, 2009) -- Recognizing that there is a high incidence of skin cancer in Arizona, M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center is sponsoring a free skin cancer screening on Saturday July 11 at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the campus of Banner Gateway Medical Center.
This is first Cancer Alert event to be brought to the community by the M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center, which expected to open on the Banner Gateway campus in late 2011. The cancer center is a joint effort by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, internationally known for its cancer care, and Banner Health, one of the country's largest nonprofit health care systems.
The skin cancer screening will be held at Banner Gateway Medical Center Women’s Imaging Center, Canyon Springs Medical Plaza, U.S. 60 and Higley Road, in Gilbert. The M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center will be constructed on the Banner Gateway campus at U.S. and Higley Road.
Screening slots are limited and an appointment is required. Participants must be 18 years of age or older. Please call (602) 230-CARE (2273) for information and to schedule an appointment.
As part of the May announcement of the new cancer cancer, M. D. Anderson and Banner Health also announced the launch of Cancer Alert programs to provide the very latest information on cancer prevention.
Up to two-thirds of all cancers may be preventable by avoiding tobacco and embracing healthy lifestyle habits, according to John Hensing, MD, Banner Health’s executive vice president and chief medical officer.
"Regular cancer screenings can help detect cancer in the earliest stages when treatments are the most successful,” he added.
M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center selected skin cancer as the first Cancer Alert topic because Arizona has the greatest rate of skin cancer in the country. More than 1,300 malignant melanomas, the deadliest form of skin cancer, are diagnosed every year in Arizona.
Other alerts will address other cancers, including breast cancer, gynecologic cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.
Each alert will provide facts specific to Arizona – for instance, the number of people each year who are expected to be diagnosed with a particular type of cancer.
About the M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center
The M. D. Anderson Banner Cancer Center will be constructed on the Banner Gateway campus. It will be anchored by a 120,000 square-foot cancer outpatient center and supported by 76 patient beds on two floors inside of Banner Gateway Medical Center. It is expected to open in 2011.
About M. D. Anderson
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson is one of only 40 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For four of the past six years, including 2008, M. D. Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “America's Best Hospitals,” a survey published annually in U.S. News & World Report.
About Banner Health
Headquartered in Phoenix, Banner Health is one of the largest, nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns or manages 22 acute-care hospitals, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services including family clinics, home care and hospice services, and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.
