Scores of people visited a Bradford hospital yesterday to take advantage of a unique screening service. Telegraph & Argus reporter Joanne Earp finds out more about the scheme - organised to raise awareness of one of the fastest-growing forms of skin cancer.

Latest statistics show malignant melanomas are four times more common today than 20 years ago - so it is hard to believe that a simple five minute check-up can be enough to stop this dangerous skin cancer in its tracks.

In a bid to raise awareness of the condition, which is caused by exposure to sunlight, staff at Bradford's St Luke's Hospital launched a unique screening service for one day only.

More than 140 people from across the region benefited from yesterday's specialist health check - believed to be the first of its kind in West Yorkshire.

The free clinic, organised by medical experts in the hospital's dermatology department, coincided with World Melanoma Day and marked the start of Sun Awareness Week.

Melanoma - a cancerous mole - is rare in children under the age of 16, but affects adults of both sexes and is responsible for around 1,000 deaths a year in Britain.

Dr Andrew Wright, a consultant dermatologist at St Luke's, explained: "It is most common on men's backs where it is out of view and therefore difficult to detect. So we're trying to encourage men in particular to be more observant."

The hospital already runs a pigment and lesion clinic every Wednesday morning. But patients are only referred to that session as a result of an appointment with their GP.

Dr Wright said: "If diagnosed early enough, the majority of skin cancers can be cured by simply removing them, but the reality is that a lot of people don't like troubling their GP over a small spot.

"We know that cancerous moles grow bigger, and once they spread to other parts of the body there's no cure. These sessions are a good way of educating people about all forms of skin cancer and catching any problems early."

As well as the five minute check-ups, nursing staff were on hand to give sun safety advice to a range of people, including those who work outdoors, children, young people and women.

Kenneth Platt, 59, voted the service a success after travelling all the way from Huddersfield to take part. "This is a great opportunity to have things checked out,'' he said. "I've already spoken to my GP about the dangers of skin cancer and he assures me I have nothing to worry about, but it's a good idea to keep an eye on things."

And James Green, a 24-year-old barber from Fairweather Green, Bradford, said: "I read about the service in the T&A and just thought it made sense to come along. I didn't know anything about the different types of skin cancer, but now I've got all the leaflets and I know what to look out for."

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