FRIENDSWOOD, Texas– Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care, today announced a new collaboration with OHSU’s War on Melanoma™. The War on Melanoma is a multi-faceted public health campaign with a focus on early detection and prevention of melanoma through various education, activism and research programs. The collaboration includes support of various aspects of the War on Melanoma program, including the Start Seeing Melanoma™ campaign and the Skin Crew.
“Our goal is to prevent melanoma, and if we can’t prevent it, then we need to catch it as early as possible,” said Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Dermatology at OHSU, Melanoma Program Director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and principal investigator leading the War on Melanoma efforts. “The War on Melanoma is getting this message out and arming the public with the information and tools they need to protect themselves from this deadly disease, with the hope of one day eradicating melanoma altogether.”
The War on Melanoma is engaging the statewide community in Oregon and beyond in a battle against the rising rates of skin cancer through public awareness efforts such as the Start Seeing Melanoma campaign and the Skin Crew.
- The Start Seeing Melanoma campaign is raising awareness of the importance of personal skin checks to identify melanoma early, focused on the premise that “melanoma stands out.”
- The Skin Crew is enlisting the assistance of licensed skin, hair and personal health professionals, such as estheticians, massage therapists, tattoo artists and hair stylists, to be on the lookout for suspicious moles on their clients. Skin Crew members can use a medical grade dermatoscope attachment for their phone, called a Sklip™, with a limited supply of free devices for members in Oregon. Once paired with the Sklip app, anyone can upload images anonymously and get an affordable assessment from a dermatologist within 24 hours on whether a mole requires additional follow-up.
“At Castle, we are focused on improving the lives of patients with skin cancer and understand that awareness and the early diagnosis of melanoma, along with innovations in prognostic testing, are critical for improving health outcomes,” said Derek Maetzold, president and chief executive officer of Castle Biosciences. “The War on Melanoma campaign is bringing the fight against melanoma to a new level through truly unique programs, and we are proud to battle alongside them as a major sponsor of their efforts.”
