St. Charles Bend is offering a free skin cancer screening Saturday to promote early detection and raise awareness of the disease, which claims the lives of more than 65,000 people worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization.

“If you do have skin cancer, you could have a potentially deadly cancer on your body,” said Dr. Mark Hall of Central Oregon Dermatology in Bend. “If it’s caught earlier, (you) will do better than if it’s caught late.”

It’s estimated one American dies every hour from malignant melanoma, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. St. Charles Bend Cancer Care is offering the free screening, as part of the nationwide American Academy of Dermatology program. AAD has conducted more than 2 million screenings since 1985, and has discovered more than 21,500 suspected melanomas, according to its Web site.

Space is limited to 40 people. About 10 people have signed up as of Wednesday. The free service is offered to provide cancer screening access to people whose insurance may not cover examination costs, and those who may not have insurance, said Lizzi Katz, 46, the center’s survivorship coordinator.

“We’re trying to serve people who don’t have access to regular medical care,” Katz said.

Hall, 38, who will be volunteering at the event, said people with the greatest risk of developing skin cancer are those with a family history or heavy sun exposure. People who spend time basking in the sun without applying sunscreen or wearing protective clothing may increase their risks, he said.

Skin cancer may come in different shapes, sizes and colors. Most skin cancers are curable if detected early.

“If we looked at you, and … your skin was perfect, we’d say ‘Great, you look good,’ and that would be that,” Hall said. “If you had a thing that looked like a melanoma, we’d say ‘ … that would need a biopsy.’”

Free screenings will be offered by appointment only, Katz said. The full-body inspection is expected to take about 30 minutes with paperwork. Hall said he will inspect for melanomas, which are irregular dark black moles, and more common types of cancer like basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.

“If it’s not caught, melanoma, especially, can be deadly,” Hall said. “But squamous cell can be deadly as well. The longer that any of the skin cancers go, the harder they are to treat and the more (pain and suffering) they cause.”

If you go

What: A free skin cancer screening

Where: Cancer Care Center at St. Charles Bend, 2500 N.E. Neff Road

When: 8:15 a.m. to noon Saturday

Contact: Call 541-706-7743 to make an appointment. Space is limited to 40 people.