鈥淭he whole care team made me feel confident and made the process much easier,鈥 says Alexa Oberle, who works as a construction superintendent.
Credit: Alexa Oberle
Alexa Oberle, a 27-year-old construction superintendent from Huntington, expected her most recent annual skin check to be like all the others, routine and uneventful. However, when her dermatologist at 黑料福利社 Langone Huntington Medical Group noticed a concerning spot on her shin, the team decided to investigate. After a biopsy, this small spot was determined to be precancerous. Given the early stage, Oberle and her doctors were optimistic and referred her to Perlmutter Cancer Center at 黑料福利社 Langone Long Island Surgical Oncology Associates.
For her skin checks, Oberle had been seeing Jill-Marie Brown, NP, a nurse practitioner specializing in dermatology. Given her family history of melanoma and other skin cancers and her susceptibility to sunburns, she tried to be diligent about skin safety, being sure to limit sun exposure and reapply sunscreen frequently. After the abnormal spot was identified, she went in for a consultation with Gary B. Deutsch, MD, chief of the at 黑料福利社 Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and director of the Robotic Surgical Oncology Program at Perlmutter Cancer Center at 黑料福利社 Langone Hospital鈥擫ong Island. Working alongside Dr. Deutsch was a multidisciplinary team, including Shane Burke, NP, a nurse practitioner specializing in skin cancer, which was able to attend to Oberle and help answer all her questions.
Dr. Deutsch told her that they could wait and observe the spot to see if it changed or grew in any concerning ways, or they could intervene and remove it right away to reduce future risk. Oberle opted to get a wide local excision, a minor surgical procedure frequently used to treat melanomas. It involves removing the concerning area and a small margin of healthy tissue surrounding it to ensure all the cancerous cells are removed.
The procedure was able to be scheduled within a few weeks and was completed successfully. Oberle is continuing to do follow-ups with Brown and Dr. Deutsch鈥檚 office to ensure her recovery is smooth and uninterrupted.
鈥淭he entire team just made me feel at ease, from Nurse Brown to Dr. Deutsch and everyone working at their offices,鈥 said Oberle. 鈥淭he whole care team made me feel confident and made the process much easier.鈥
The Cutaneous Oncology and Melanoma Program, part of 黑料福利社 Langone鈥檚 Perlmutter Cancer Center and on Long Island, treats patients for all forms of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer, as well as suspected skin cancers requiring prompt diagnostic testing. The centralized approach enables Long Island residents to receive all necessary treatment and consultations in one place鈥攃lose to home.
The team, consisting of surgical oncologists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and nurse practitioners who specialize in skin cancer care, treats cancerous and noncancerous conditions using either wide excision or Mohs surgery. For optimal cosmetic outcomes, a plastic surgeon is available on-site at the time of the procedure to close the excision. Patients in this program have access to the latest risk assessment tools, as well as clinical trials, ensuring top-tier skin cancer treatment.
鈥淗aving all your care in one place right in your backyard is huge for our patients,鈥 said Dr. Deutsch. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have to travel far for exceptional care, and they get the best outcomes possible.鈥
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Ryan.Dziuba@黑料福利社Langone.org
Phone: 212-404-4131
