Anna Kay Duckworth, MD - Savannah River Dermatology, LLC

Statistics and discussion pointswith your patients:An estimated 68, 720 cases of invasive melanomawere diagnosed in 2009, and 8,650 people diedfrom the cancer, which is the deadliest form of skincancer.Dr. Anna Katherine Duckworth says, “That’s almostone death per hour. It’s the sixth most commoncancer in the U.S. and the No. 1 cancer in Americansages 25-29.”“We as a society are equally unwise about our riskfor skin cancer. Most people don’t realize that youhave a 6-8 fold risk of melanoma just by going to atanning bed,” warns Dr. Duckworth.cancer screening. And for the residents of the Central SavannahRiver area, she writes or records basic information on warningsagainst skin cancer or other skin diseases.A Family AffairDr. Anna Kay Duckworth’s philanthropy has turned into afamily affair with her husband, Patrick. Together they are veryactive in fund raising efforts for “Cooking for Kids,” a programwhich benefits child enrichment. Patrick is also an executiveboard member of the CSRA division of the Boys Scouts ofAmerica. The compassionate heart of the Duckworth familymakes Augusta, Georgia, a place we all call home, much brighterand better.Finding Melanomas:The ABCD rule can help you tell a normal mole froman abnormal mole. A dermatologist should checkmoles that have any of these signs:➣➣Asymmetry: One half of the mole does notmatch the other half.➣➣Border Irregularity: The edges of the mole areirregular or not smooth. They may look ragged,blurred or notched.➣➣Color: The mole’s color is not the same all over.There may be shades of tan, brown, or black andsometimes patches of pink, red, blue or white.➣➣Diameter: The mole is larger than about ¼ inch– about the size of a pencil eraser – althoughsometimes melanomas can be smaller.Savannah river DERMATOLOGY493 Fury’s Ferry RoadMartinez, Georgia 30907Office: (706) 691-7079Fax: (706) 364-0416www.srderm.comAnother important sign of melanoma is a mole thatis growing or changing in shape or color. Still, somemelanomas do not fit the “Rules” above. It may behard to tell if the mole is normal or not, so referthese patients if you are unsure.Source: American Cancer SocietyMay/June 2010 CSRA MD Journal • Page 5