Cancer support service on way to Wakefield and Pontefract next week

Macmillan Cancer Support’s Mobile Information and Support Service will be visiting the area, with cancer information specialists on hand to answer any questions.

The team encourages anyone with worries relating to cancer to stop by.

Now summer is here the team will also be providing specialist information about sun safety and skin cancer, although the team will be unable to perform skin checks.

The visits will take place on:

Thursday July 4

Trinity Walk Shopping Centre, Trinity Walk, Wakefield WF1 4JT, 10am to 4pm

Friday July 5

Market, Beastfair, Pontefract, WF8 1AL

Skin cancers are most likely to appear on skin that is exposed to the sun.

If caught early, they are very treatable and most people with non-melanoma skin cancers are cured with treatment.

Hazel Greaves, from the mobile information team, said: “The sunnier weather gives us all a boost but it’s important to be aware of how to stay safe in the sun and to know which changes to your skin could give reason for concern.”

Skin cancers can look very different, so visit your doctor if you notice anything unusual on your skin that does not go away after four weeks, including:

• any spot or sore that doesn’t heal

• a spot or sore that hurts, is itching, crusty, scabs over or bleeds

• areas where the skin has broken down (an ulcer) and doesn’t heal

• a lump on the skin - this might be a firm, red lump or may look sunken in the middle

Melanoma is a rarer type of skin cancer.

It can develop from a new mole or one you already have.

The ABCDE list can help tell the difference between a melanoma and a normal mole.

See you GP if you are worried about any changes in your skin or a mole.

A – Asymmetrical moles – irregular in shape

B – Border of a mole – blurred or has jagged edges

C – Colour of a mole – if a mole has more than one colour

D – Diameter (width) – irregular moles are usually larger than 7mm

E – Evolving – melanoma moles often change (evolve)

Hazel adds: “It’s important for everyone to take extra care in the sun.

“But some cancer treatments can make you especially sensitive to the sun.

“If you’re having treatment for cancer, ask your healthcare team for advice about protecting your skin during and after treatment.”

If you have any concerns about skin cancer or any other type of cancer, or just want someone to talk to, Macmillan Cancer Support is right there with you.

Call us for free on 0808 808 00 00, seven days a week, 8am to 8pm, or click here for information on all types of cancer, support groups in your area and access to our online community.

Click here for further information about Macmillan’s mobile information service, and planned visits.