Mobile screening unit for ‘most common’ cancer stopping by this weekend

'Mole Mobile' is a free skin cancer screening clinic that is run by volunteer dermatologists and is travelling across Canada. Oct. 27/23 (Amanda Hicks/CTV Northern Ontario)

A new mobile skin cancer screening unit has been ‘checking moles’ across Canada over the last few weeks and will be making stops in Barrie and Orillia this weekend.

In light of May being Melanoma Awareness Month in Canada, Melanoma Canada has been operating their ‘Mole Mobile,’ which has been offering appointment-free skin checks by certified dermatologists.

The unit is scheduled to stop in Barrie on Saturday at 355 Bayfield Street and in Orillia on Sunday at 450 West Street North, operating from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on both days.

According to Melanoma Canada, skin cancer is the most common cancer nationwide, with new melanoma cases rising by nearly one-and-a-half per cent each year over the last ten years.

Melanoma Canada adds that skin cancers are largely treatable if detected early, however, access to dermatologists remains a challenge.

The ‘Mole Mobile’ provided more than 4,000 free screenings during its 2023 Ontario launch and identified nearly 1,400 high-risk individuals in 2024 during its expansion to Quebec and British Columbia.

After this weekend, the unit is scheduled to return to Ontario with a Toronto stop in late June.