Attention News/Health Editors/See CNW Photo Network and Archive:

Young Vancouver doctor shocked by own basal cell skin cancer diagnosis

    VANCOUVER, May 27 /CNW/ - Family practice resident, Dr. Courtney Rennie,
(28) was busy finishing medical school in Ottawa in 2003 when she noticed a
mole on her left shoulder that "didn't look normal".
    The native of Lethbridge, Alberta, recalls the events that led up to a
diagnosis of basal cell skin cancer at the age of 26. "I noticed a mole,
brownish in colour, which was beginning to grow and look more irregular in
shape."
    Her family doctor dismissed the spot and told Rennie there was nothing to
worry about. Convinced the spot was not normal, she finally got a referral to
a dermatologist. The mole was removed and a biopsy confirmed it was basal cell
carcinoma.
    The young doctor decided to share her experience with basal cell skin
cancer with others during the Canadian Dermatology Association's National Sun
Awareness Week, May 30 to June 5, 2005. This very common form of skin cancer,
usually seen in people over 50 years old, is now being found in a younger
group of people including teens and those in their twenties, according to the
association.
    "I was really shocked because I was so young and I couldn't believe I had
cancer," says Dr. Rennie, a triathlete and adventure sports participant
completing her medical training at the University of British Columbia.
    The fair skinned doctor says as a teenager, she spent a few summers
sunbathing with her mother while in high school, but didn't get a lot of sun
throughout her childhood. However, she has very sun-sensitive skin. "Even if I
wear an SPF 30 or 40 sunscreen, I cannot stay out in the sun for long periods
because I will burn quite badly".
    She would like to see a skin examination become a part of family doctors'
yearly physical examinations. "I think especially for family physicians, they
should be made aware that basal cell skin cancer can happen in young people."

    (*) Photos of Dr. Courtney Rennie as well as basal cell skin cancers
        available at http://photos.newswire.ca.

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: contact: Sue Sherlock, Canadian Dermatology 
Association, (604) 985-9184 or cell (778) 229-5033