(ANNOUNCER OPEN):
Sam Donaldson, of ABC News, was diagnosed with melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer - in late July of 1995. Six years after having a melanoma tumor removed, Mr. Donaldson discusses what he's learned from his experiences with melanoma.

(DONALDSON):
"What I tell people now is to watch out for the sun. Be very careful, use very heavy sunblock, use hats, stay out of the sun except when you need you go out. Secondly, particularly as you get older, check yourself. Any unusual change in a mole or a blemish, any different color, serration, naturally any bleeding - you want to run, not walk, you want to run right away to the doctor and have it checked. Early detection, like many cancers is the difference between living and dying. Certainly, if you detect a melanoma lesion early, and it hasn't grown too deeply into the skin, into the body - the cure rate is very, very good."

(JACKSON CLOSE):
This is Calvin Jackson, the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.