Pocono News Section

Hospital Gets Grant for Free Cancer Screenings

Hospital Gets Grant for Free Cancer Screenings - Friday, April 9, 2010 at 04:02AM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Friday April 09 2010
EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY - The Blue Ribobn Foundation of Northeastern Pennsylvania just gave Pocono Medical Center a grant of more than $9,000. It will help provide free skin cancer screenings.

Helen Hanna does not want you to end up in her position. She's recovering from major skin cancer surgery. She said, "it's scary cause you don't expect it." She noticed a mark on her leg years ago. But didn't think much of it. As the mark grew she didn't worry because it wasn't painful.

Eventually though she decided to have it removed. She explained, "Probably went to the doctor more for cosmetic reasons just to have it removed rather than thinking there was something serious that went with it."

But it was serious. Doctors discovered cancer. It spread from her skin to the lymph nodes in her groin. In a major four hour surgery doctor charles herman and his team removed the cancer. Herman said, "I moved a muscle from her leg into her groin to cover her artery and her vein which were exposed."

The doctor said helen wouldn't have required nearly as much surgery if she would have come in when she first noticed a problem. He explained, "An earlier melanoma or one that hasn't spread deeply into the skin yet can sometimes just be cut out with a relatively small cut."

Helen said you can avoid her mistake. "If you see anything that you think could be questionable - to go right away. Don't just say oh it's a birthmark."

Doctor Herman added, "By screening patients in the community we can pick up cancers that otherwise might not have been diagnosed until possibly months or years later."

Pocono Medical Center's grantwill help provide 250 skin cancerscreenings for uninsured and underinsured people. Local service agencies will refer people.