News & Press
Avvo and the MRF Team Up to Promote Skin Cancer Awareness Month
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2012
Avvo and the Melanoma Research Foundation Team Up to Promote Skin Cancer Awareness Month
Avvo will donate $5 to the Melanoma Research Foundation for every question related to skin cancer prevention and detection asked on Avvo.com during May.
Seattle, Wash –May 7, 2012 –In recognition of Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month®, Avvo, Inc., the web’s largest expert-only health and legal Q&A forum and directory, is teaming up with the Melanoma Research Foundation(MRF) to raise awareness about skin cancer prevention and detection, including melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer. As part of the month-long awareness campaign, Avvo will donate $5 to the MRF for every skin cancer related question submitted on Avvo.com in May. More information and tips on sun safety can be found at www.BeatSkinCancer.com.
“The three most common skin cancers are related to cumulative sun exposure, so protection is imperative,” said Dr. Tina Alster, founding director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, D.C. “Skin cancers have been reported in patients with naturally dark and pale skin, so everyone should wear sunscreen and have their skin checked once a year by a dermatologist who specializes in skin cancer prevention and treatment.”
“Education is critical when it comes to preventing skin cancers like melanoma,” said Timothy J. Turnham, executive director of the MRF. “Through our work with Avvo, we can help people become more aware of their skin and monitoring for changes while contributing urgently needed funding for melanoma research.”
Melanoma: A Growing Threat
Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States and can strike men and women of all ages, all races and skin types. With a one in 50 lifetime risk of developing melanoma, nearly 76,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2012, resulting in over 9,000 deaths. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25- to 29-years-old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15- to 29-years-old.
The majority of melanomas occur on the skin; in fact, melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma can also occur in the eye (ocular, or uveal melanoma), in mucous membranes (mucosal melanoma), or even beneath fingernails or toenails.
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About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent, national organization devoted to melanoma in the United States. Committed to the support of medical research in finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of melanoma. The MRF is an active advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at www.melanoma.org.
About Avvo, Inc.
Avvo is the web’s largest expert-only legal and health Q&A forum and professional directory, providing trusted answers to consumer health and legal questions every 9.7 seconds. In Avvo’s free Q&A forum consumers can get free legal adviceor free medical advicefrom more than 125,000 participating lawyers, doctors and dentists. Avvo’s professional directory provides comprehensive profiles, patient and client reviews, peer endorsements and the unbiased, industry-recognized Avvo Rating for more than 90% of doctors, dentists and lawyers in the U.S. Launched in 2007, Avvo is privately held, with funding from Benchmark Capital, Ignition Partners and DAG Ventures. For more information, visit www.avvo.com.
For more information, press only:
Kari Day for Avvo Samara Villasenor for Avvo
206.812.8002 206.478.5643
[email protected] [email protected]
Lauren Smith for the MRF
202.591.4065