PRACTICE BROCHURE

Richard J. DeAngelis, M.D

April S. Ross, PA-C

Ashlyn Platts, PA-C

Becca Holt, NP

Hannah Fiederlein, RTT

We at the SKIN CANCER CENTRE will

• Care for you with the kindness, compassion, and respect you deserve.

• Utilize the most advanced diagnostic tools and treatment methods available.

• Employ sound judgment based upon proven scientific research.

• Apply the expertise of over twenty-five years of practice.

• Perform surgery only when necessary.

How We’re Different

Our entire practice is devoted exclusively to skin cancer. We offer the most

comprehensive approach to the prevention, detection, and treatment of skin cancer.

We also utilize the most technologically advanced diagnostic tools to aid in early

diagnosis, as well as the most sophisticated methods of treatment. Our philosophy

is to expect nothing less than outstanding outcomes and unsurpassed cure rates. In

our family-friendly environment, we strive to alleviate your anxiety, allay your

fears, and dispel the many myths surrounding skin cancer and its treatment.

Concern for Your Comfort

When treatment is required for the removal of pre-cancers or skin cancers, even if

located in the most delicate of areas, we carefully and skillfully do only what is

necessary, as comfortably as possible, with the least amount of pain. In many

instances, even when treating pre-cancerous actinic keratoses with a common

treatment like liquid nitrogen, we often numb the site prior to the application of

this otherwise painful procedural application. This is especially helpful when

applying this extremely cold substance to one’s forehead or scalp, where nerve

endings are particularly sensitive.

An Uncommon Understanding of Skin Cancer

Dr. DeAngelis has treated over forty thousand skin cancers and countless pre-

cancers since 1991.This extensive experience has allowed him to amass the

knowledge, insight, and judgment necessary to thoroughly appreciate the

innumerable subtleties of the varied appearances and behaviors of skin cancers of

all types. Dr. DeAngelis remains on the forefront in early detection of pre-cancers

and skin cancers by utilizing a Dermatoscope as an advanced diagnostic aid. This

enables him to better visualize and therefore determine which areas of concern

may respond to conservative topical therapy versus a more aggressive treatment.

He regularly treats high-risk skin cancer patients and is very comfortable

addressing problems that few dermatologists would be as confident to treat.

A Specialized Reconstructive Surgeon

Dr. DeAngelis has always performed the vast majority of his own reconstructions

after the cancer has been removed. The whole process of skin cancer removal—

evaluating the cancerous tissue under the microscope to remove the roots and then

reconstructing the defect—typically takes from two to four hours, depending on

the complexity. All of the procedures he performs are done in one of his private

offices under local anesthesia. This has proven to be extremely safe and relatively

affordable when compared to doing such procedures in a hospital operating room

or a surgery center. Everything is typically done on the same day, saving time and

the cost of additional travel. Dr. DeAngelis is very particular when it comes not

only to proper function of the affected area, but also how you will look and feel

after your skin cancer has been removed.

A Collaborative Effort

The focused service we provide at the SKIN CANCER CENTRE not only requires

a highly specialized physician, but also a fine-tuned staff that is thorough yet

gentle, capable and caring. We are very proud of our well-trained and experienced

staff. They are most helpful and strive to be attentive to your every need. Whether

you need a blanket if you’re cold or reassurance if you’re anxious, they know how

to care for you, and they do it with genuineness and grace, and at times, humor and

charm.

A Pleasant Environment

Whether your visit requires a simple consultation and skin cancer screening or a

more involved surgical procedure, we are devoted to providing a family-friendly

atmosphere. We have a private waiting room including Wi-Fi for our patients and

their family members or friends who may accompany them on the visit.

Respect for Your Time

Please understand that some patients travel from long distances to be treated and

require surgery on the same day as their initial visit without the possibility of a

prior consultation. On some occasions, their cancer may be more involved than we

or the referring physician had anticipated. This rarely forces us to make last

minute changes to our schedule, but there are times when we may run up to one

hour late. We do everything in our power to minimize these occurrences, and we

always appreciate your understanding if this should happen to occur on a day when

you are on our schedule to be seen or treated. We greatly respect your time and do

our best to see you as promptly as possible with the necessary attention that you

also deserve.

A Policy of Providing Value

We try our best to keep your out-of-pocket cost to a minimum. We accept

Medicare assignment and most types of health insurance. We are conscientious

not only regarding the procedures we perform each day, but also in how our costs

will impact your uniquely personal and financial situation. Since we focus our

practice in such a specialized way, we have learned over the years how to avoid as

many costly complications as possible while still achieving unsurpassed cure rates.

In other words, we do everything we can to get your treatment or surgery right the

first time, and we know how often we need to see you for future follow-up visits

based on your unique risk of developing pre-cancers or skin cancers. Some of you

may have been referred by another very capable doctor, who will likely follow up

after your surgery with us. We are not only honored to have so many private

patients but are always honored by those physicians whose confidence allows us to

participate in the care of their patients.

What a Patient Should Expect

• Attention to detail and a willingness to provide a total body examination.

• A total body exam at least once a year for high-risk patients who have a

personal or family history of melanoma.

• The use of typical visual aids, such as lighting and magnification devices.

• The use of technologically advanced visual aids, such as digital photography

(to follow spots of concern over time) and Dermoscopy (see details in

section on Dermoscopy).

What a Patient Needs to Know

A well-trained skin cancer provider who is conducting a skin cancer screening

does not always follow a patient’s list of concerns in the order in which the patient

presents them. This is not to say that your spots of concern should not or will not

be examined. Oftentimes, the provider has a systematic methodology that is

followed in order to ensure that all areas of your body are inspected for skin

problems. By doing so, the provider focuses on the spots or lesions that are of most

potential concern for cancer.

However, if you want to ensure that you don’t forget to ask the provider about your

particular concerns, feel free to draw a circle around specific spots to ensure that

they are seen. This will serve as a reminder to you and as an area of focus for your

provider.

It is best to remove make up from your face prior to the examination so that

nothing is hidden. You may choose to bring make up with you to put back on prior

to leaving the office and returning to your daily routine.

Some providers and or staff members may be very sensitive to fragrances or

perfumes so please refrain from such if possible, on your visit.

“Wherever the art of medicine is loved,

there is also a love of Humanity”

- Hippocrates

Problems I Have Seen During My Years of Practice

• A doctor who is too conservative and fails to get to the root of the problem

or is so afraid of missing something that a more conservative method of

treatment is rarely used, may not be serving your best interests. I would like

to believe that most doctors strive to keep the patient’s best interest at the

forefront of their practice. However, in our increasingly litigious society,

there may be times when some doctors feel pressure to do extra tests or

procedures in order to avoid missing something of potential importance.

This practice of defensive medicine only contributes to the problem of rising

healthcare costs.

• Increasing governmental regulation takes a toll on treatment. The alarming

trend toward greater regulation typically equates to a continued increase in

cost and practice overhead. At the same time, the reimbursement rates for

most medical services are slowly going down. With each passing year, it

seems that a physician generally has to do more in less time, simply to keep

up and to maintain an acceptable balance in the income/overhead ratio.

• The best doctors must weigh in the balance many factors with regard to the

treatment of their patients. With the demands for specialists in small

communities, the demands of insurance companies, and the sheer time

involved in maintaining a practice, this balance is sometimes difficult to

achieve. We must continually monitor ourselves in light of our expertise

and limitations. Above all, we must remember the Hippocratic Oath: to first

and foremost, do no harm.

Dermoscopy and the Early Detection of Skin Cancer

A Dermatoscope is a handheld device that aids significantly in the early

detection of skin cancer. Not only does it magnify the objects in view by ten, but

the special optics and LED lights also allow the examiner to see through the

surface layers of the skin into the upper layers of the dermis. It is within these

layers of the skin where abnormalities can be appreciated that are unable to be seen

with the unaided eye or even with a typical magnifying glass.

Dermoscopy or Epiluminescent Microscopy (ELM) has been more widely used

as a diagnostic tool in European countries and is gradually becoming more popular

in the United States as well. Increasingly more scientific studies have proven its

efficacy when used by a trained provider. In addition to aiding in the more

accurate delineation of both benign and malignant growths, ELM also enables one

to detect malignancies in earlier stages. In other words, a provider trained in the

use of ELM can more clearly distinguish those things that are without a doubt

benign, for which no biopsy is needed, from those things that are clearly

malignant, for which treatment is necessary.

The vast majority of melanomas detected in our office with the aid of this

device are in a very superficial stage and therefore less likely to be as potentially

dangerous. As far as the more common types of skin cancers, known as basal cell

and squamous cell carcinomas, ELM often allows us to detect these at a stage

where they may even be difficult to see with the naked eye. Therefore, the

necessary treatment for such early common skin

cancers may be less extensive, requiring a less

intrusive procedure for such patients. In our

practice, the Dermatoscope is an invaluable

tool that we could not confidently practice

without.

What is Mohs Micrographic Surgery?

Mohs Micrographic Surgery is a precise and highly specialized method used to

surgically remove skin cancer. The cancerous tissue is excised under local

anesthesia and then immediately examined under microscopic vision. This proven

method of skin cancer removal offers the greatest possible chance of a complete

cure while preserving as much normal skin as possible.

Mohs Surgery: Why it’s Unique

There are several common methods currently used to examine cancerous tissue

when removed from a patient and sent to a pathologist for margin evaluation.

Bread loaf sectioning, cross sectioning, and peripheral sectioning involve the

evaluation of vertical sectioned samples from the tissue submitted to a lab for

processing. While these methods are commonly used, they only allow a physician

to examine a very small percentage of the margins of most concern. In contrast,

the Mohs technique allows for the skin cancer tissue to be processed in such a way

that horizontal sections are obtained, which allows for the microscopic evaluation

of the entire base of the removed tissue as well as the entire outside peripheral

margin. Therefore, the most vital information required to determine whether all

the cancer has truly been eliminated is obtained by this exacting technique—Mohs

Micrographic Surgery.

Mohs Surgery - The Advantages

The goals in treating skin cancer are as follows:

• To offer a patient the highest chance of cure.

• To conserve as much healthy tissue as possible.

• To minimize dysfunction or distortion.

• To achieve the best cosmetic result.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery can achieve these goals unlike any other available

method, which is why it has become the gold standard for the removal of many of

the most common types of skin cancers.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery is usually most beneficial and cost effective when

used to treat skin cancers that have developed on delicate locations of one’s face

and for skin cancers that have not responded to the more common methods of

removal. The most common skin cancers that are treated in this manner are basal

cell and squamous cell carcinomas.

When skin cancers are discovered in locations close to one’s eyes, ears, lips, or

nose, the Mohs technique allows a physician to conserve as much normal skin as

possible, while also ensuring that the cancer is completely removed. More than

any other technique used today, Mohs Micrographic Surgery helps minimize

unnecessary distortion or dysfunction, which is of utmost importance in achieving

the best cosmetic result.

In summary the Mohs removal method is superior to other methods in that the skin

cancer that is removed is evaluated under microscopic vision immediately on site.

The patient need not agonize while waiting days for the lab results, and in many

instances, the wound resulting from the removal can be fixed the same day since

the Mohs surgeon is confident that the cancer has been completely removed and

thoroughly evaluated.

“Mohs micrographic surgery is considered the most effective technique

for treating many basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and squamous cell

carcinomas (SCCs), the two most common types of skin cancer.”

- Skin Cancer Foundation

Richard J. DeAngelis, M.D.

Dr. Richard J. DeAngelis, the second born of five boys, was raised in Morgantown,

West Virginia. Though all his brothers followed in their father’s footsteps to

pursue real estate development or building construction, Richard was always

drawn to more personable pursuits. His propensity in childhood to take things

apart challenged him to put them back together without

many leftover pieces. Ultimately in choosing a career

Richard saw a different way he could use his version of

“construction” skills. Following the example of a favorite

uncle, Richard decided to pursue a career in the field of

medicine.

It seems fitting, in retrospect, that his profession is

intimately involved with taking pieces out of his patients and

then putting his patients back together again. But in his day-

to-day practice since 1991 as a board-certified dermatologist

and Mohs micrographic surgeon, Dr. DeAngelis’ goal has

been to leave out certain parts—the skin cancers that he meticulously and

methodically excises from his patients.

Dr. DeAngelis is a second-generation Mohs Micrographic Surgeon, and his

practice in Anderson, South Carolina, is entirely devoted to skin cancer screening

and treatment. Dr. DeAngelis spent approximately two years training under Dr.

Rodney Kovach, to whom Dr. DeAngelis will always be indebted. Dr. Kovach is

board certified in both dermatology and dermatopathology and was personally

trained by the late Dr. Frederic Mohs, the pioneer of the Mohs micrographic

surgical procedure. Dr. Kovach is now retired but previously served as the

chairman of the Department of Dermatology at West Virginia University.

Dr. DeAngelis has a particular passion for teaching his team of providers to

become expert Dermoscopists. Our practice’s habit of using the Dermatoscope to

scan the nose, eyelids, and ears gives our providers the chance to find the most

subtle changes on your skin’s

surface in these areas where they

commonly go unnoticed. By

taking a little extra time with our

patients, we hope to identify any

changes that can represent both

early and evolving skin cancers.

Above all else, Dr. DeAngelis

strives to always put his patients’

best interests first. He deems it an

honor and a privilege to have

befriended and learned from so many patients since he began his private practice in

1991. He will remain forever indebted to them for the many ways that they have

contributed to his life, both personally and professionally.

TEAM OF PRACTITIONERS

All of our providers most enjoy a unique working relationship where often times

during the course of a day, they all take extra time to pause and share ideas and

opinions with one another. It is therefore not unusual to have many eyes sharing

their combined knowledge and experience before a decision is ever made to excise

something which they prefer to do only if and when necessary.

Dr. DeAngelis and his entire team enjoy a similar practice style and have a passion

for communication with kindness. They all strive to maintain the utmost respect for

each other and for the many patients they are so privileged to serve.

In January of 2020, April Ross will be moving into our newly renovated state-of-

the-art examination and treatment rooms located on our main Anderson campus on

N. Fant Street in Building B, and she looks forward to working more closely with

Ashlyn Platts. Ashlyn has been working in this adjacent “Mutual” Building B

since January of 2018.

April Ross, PA-C

April Ross, PA-C, joined the staff of the Skin Cancer

Centre in November 2011 and has been a vital asset since

this time. April earned a Bachelor of Science degree in

Pre-Medicine with a Major in Biology and Minor in

Chemistry from Southern Wesleyan University. She then

completed her master’s degree in Medicine from

Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee

and has been a certified Physician Assistant since 2005.

While in graduate school, April was PA student of the

year for the state of Tennessee.

April practiced in Family Medicine for 7 years in Seneca, SC prior to joining the

Skin Cancer Centre. During this time, she was responsible for treating a broad

range of disease processes encountered in a typical family practice. However, she

devoted most of her time to screening and treating the dermatological conditions of

many of her patients in the multi-specialty practice. Joining the professional team

of the Skin Cancer Centre was a realization of April’s dream to further specialize,

and to become an expert in the management of patients predisposed to the

development of pre-cancers and cancers of the

skin.

April is married and has two beautiful

children, a son Samuel and daughter, Baker.

She enjoys spending time with her family and

working on their family farm.

Ashlyn Platts, PA-C

Ashlyn Platts, PA-C, joined the staff of the Skin

Cancer Centre in May of 2016. Ashlyn graduated

from the University of South Carolina in Aiken in

2007, and then obtained her Master of Science in

Medicine-- Physician Assistant from the Medical

College of GA in 2012.

She worked with another board-certified

dermatologist in the state of Georgia full time prior

to joining us at the Skin Cancer Centre. She came to

us with a solid foundation from her experience

working in general dermatology and has an

outstanding reputation where she practiced for three

years in the state of Georgia.

Her move to our practice in the upstate allowed her

to expand her experience in the early detection and

advanced treatment of skin cancer. If she is not in the

office, she is likely enjoying her time with her

husband Daniel.

Becca Holt, NP

Becca began working with the Skin Cancer Centre in 2015. While in nursing school, she still managed to maintain full-time work status even while obtaining her Master’s Degree as a Nurse Practitioner. She worked side-by-side with Dr. DeAngelis for over four years and in January of 2020, will occupy the office space in Building A of her predecessor and colleague, April Ross.

Becca has completed many of the same courses as all of the highly specialized practitioners at the Skin Cancer Centre. Her dedication and experience has allowed her to join hands with our well established team of experts. We wholeheartedly share a mission to set the standard in the early detection and advanced treatment of skin cancer.

With time, Becca hopes to work more days a week at our Powdersville office location as the Skin Cancer Centre continues to grow in that direction. This satellite office location was opened in August of 2016 with that in mind, as this office is much closer to her home in Greenville, South Carolina where she, her husband Matt, and their most cherished daughter Caroline reside.

Hannah Fiederlein, RTT Certified Radiation Therapist

Hannah joined our practice in August of 2018.

Prior to joining the Skin Cancer Centre, she

worked for over two years at the Center for

Cancer and Blood Disorders in Ft. Worth, TX.

Hannah has proven to be an invaluable asset to

our team, and resides in Greenville, SC.

~ August 2018 ~

Skin Cure Oncology Partnered with Skin Cancer Centre

What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is so limited~~

It cannot:

• Cripple love

• Shatter hope

• Corrode faith

• Destroy peace

• Kill friendship

Author unknown

• Suppress memories

• Silence courage

• Invade the soul

• Steal eternal life

• Conquer the Spirit

Web Site: www.skincancercentre.com

E-Mail: adelel.scc@gmail.com or cfrostscc@gmail.com

Main Anderson Address: Second Office:

SKIN CANCER CENTRE SKIN CANCER CENTRE

1409 N. Fant Street 107 Clair Dr.

Anderson, SC 29621 Powdersville, SC 29673

Phone #: 800-972-3751

Local #: 864-231-8599

Fax #: 864-231-8073

Office Manager: Kathy Hayes - Practice Manager: Collin Frost

Receptionist: Dana, Cheryl, Barbara, and Virginia

Scheduling: Adele

Billing: Kathy, Sylvia, and Collin

Surgical Assistants: Xiomara, Marina, Kelly, Michelle

Laboratory: Phyllis, Ernie, Mike, Sonja

Think On This

Understanding the Simple Laws of Life

A man does not commence to truly live until he finds an

immovable center within himself on which to stand, by

which to regulate his life, and from which to draw his

peace. If he trusts to that which fluctuates he also will

fluctuate; if he leans upon that which may be withdrawn

he will fall and be bruised; if he looks for satisfaction in

perishable accumulations he will starve for happiness in

the midst of plenty.

Let a man learn to stand alone, looking to no one for

support; expecting no favor, craving no personal

advantages; not begging, nor complaining, not craving,

nor regretting, but relying upon the truth within himself,

deriving his satisfaction and comfort from the integrity of

his own heart.

When a man is rescued from selfish desire his mind is

unencumbered, and he is free to work for humanity. No

longer racing after those gratifications which leave him

hungry still, seeking no rewards, he can concentrate all

his energies upon the faultless completion of his duties,

and so accomplish all things and fulfill all righteousness.

On the other hand, the man of desire needs the promise

of reward to urge him to action. He is as a child working

for the possession of a toy.

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen

A night without armor

Poems by Jewel Kilcher

Dedication

To my wife Ruth --- for the many ways and times that she

has shown me what the grace of God looks and feels like

-- especially through the valleys of our 30 plus years, and

even more so during those rare times when I lost my

way. Thank you for being such an amazing example of

loyalty to me and our most amazing four grown children.

Richard J. DeAngelis