Skin cancer is the most frequent cancer in the world. A dermatologist can check on signs of skin cancer. The dermatologists working at the Roosevelt clinics are experts in the diagnosis and also the treatment of skin cancer. In the Netherlands, a skin cancer check by a dermatologist can be performed with a referral from your general practitioner (insured) or without a referral (not insured).
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Skin cancer symptoms vary in many ways, depending on the type. The symptoms of the most frequent skin cancers, such as basal and squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma are for example very different from each other. In the most common cases a basal cell carcinoma can be recognized by a pearly translucent appearance with a flesh like color and tiny blood vessels on its area and sometimes an ulcerating skin. A squamous cell carcinoma is fast growing and often a scaly patch or bump, that looks red and crusted. Melanomas often occur in an asymmetrical area with a size of around 5 millimeters in diameter. The spot is pigmented and the border of the area with the surrounding skin is irregular. UV-light (from the sun) is the cause of nearly every case of these cancer types. Some risk factors could be: sun vacations, an outside profession, outside sport practice, use of tanning beds, living near the equator, etcetera. Another possible way for a melanoma to form is by inheriting it from your family, this is the reason a dermatologist might ask if this is a common thing in your family.
Every type of cancer requires a different type of treatment, this link will provide more information on this in Dutch. Basal cell carcinomas can for example be treated with a cream, but most of the time it is necessary to excise skin cancer. The excised skin can be checked by a pathologist to check if the lesion was removed in its entirety. At the Roosevelt clinic we have a well-trained and very experienced team of dermatologists and dermato-surgeons. When removing the melanoma we follow the Dutch guidelines, so another excision is done around the scar to be sure that all of the cancer is removed to prevent the return of skin cancer symptoms. If deemed necessary, a referral to an academic center will be handed to our patients, but this is not often the case.
If you have certain skin cancer symptoms, you can be referred to the Roosevelt clinic by your general practitioner, and costs are then covered by your health care insurance. It is also a possibility to get a full body check for skin cancer without a referral. You can find the cost of the check here. The dermatologist will check you for irregularities and inform you afterwards if he or she found something. Any lesions that are found can be removed through surgery and analyzed afterwards by a pathologist. For a pricelist click here or ask your dermatologist what the costs will be. It is advisable to get a referral from your general practitioner in almost all cases.
Make an appointment with the dermatologist, click here.