Latrobe presentation will focus on skin cancer

Skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the United States, will be the topic of an informational program Wednesday in Latrobe.

The 6 p.m. presentation by Dr. Melissa Pugliano-Mauro, residency program director in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Dermatology, is part of an ongoing series of health-related talks sponsored by the Latrobe Lions Club and hosted by the Latrobe Area Historical Society.

The organizations recently joined forces to present a speaker on macular degeneration and are planning upcoming programs on arthritis and dementia.

Lions Club member Tom Wandrisco said Wednesday’s discussion will touch on different types of skin cancer, early warning signs of the disease and possible treatments.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70 and, every hour in the United States, more than two people die of the disease. Experiencing five or more sunburns doubles the risk of developing melanoma, but the five-year survival rate is 99% when that cancer is detected early, the foundation said.

Pugliano-Mauro is a member of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Medical Association and the American College of Mohs Surgeons. Developed in the late 1930s by Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, Mohs surgery involves gradual removal and examination of layers of tissue until no cancer cells remain.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. at the historical society, 416 Weldon St., Latrobe. Admission is free but donations will be accepted. Visitors may park on the street or in the lot of Kelly, Sparber & White Associates, at Weldon and Alexandria streets.