Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
According to a study in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, patients seeking to have a potentially cancerous mole evaluated by a dermatologist have to wait longer than those seeking Botox treatments for wrinkles.
The researchers report that dermatologists in 12 cities offered a typical waiting time of eight days for a patient seeking Botox for wrinkles, compared with a typical wait of 26 days for a patient requesting an evaluation of a changing mole.
The lead author, Dr. Jack. S. Resneck, Jr., says, "We need to look further and figure out what is leading to shorter wait times for cosmetic patients." This study did not examine the causes.
One explanation, according to The New York Times article covering the study, could be that the demand for medical dermatologists outstrips the supply. Other dermatologists quoted in the article said that financial incentives plus obstacles in receiving payment from insurance companies might have a role in varying wait times.
The farther patients have to travel to a reach a doctor to diagnose their melanoma, the more likely they are to have thicker skin cancer at diagnosis, according to a study led by Karyn B. Stitzenberg M.D., M.P.H., of the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Survival for patients with melanoma is dependent on the stage of the disease at diagnosis. As the depth of the tumor cells in the skin increases (known as the Breslow), the overall survival decreases. The researchers found that the median distance to a diagnosing physician was 8 miles and the median Breslow was 0.6 millimeters. For each one-mile increase in distance, the Breslow thickness increased by 0.6 percent.
Increased Breslow thickness was also associated with increase poverty and age. Sex, rurality and supply of dermatogists were not associated.
However, half of the people who learn they have melanoma of the foot die within five years, because of the cancer's spread by the time of diagnosis.
Foot and ankle surgeons recommend focusing on the most common places for foot melanoma: the soles, between the toes and around or under the toenails.
If a mole, freckle or spot starts to change over the course of a month and becomes asymmetrical or changes its border, color, diameter or elevation (known as the ABCDEs of melanoma), see a doctor immediately.
The incidence of melanoma has steadily increased in the United States over the past several decades, according to Martin A. Weinstock, MD, PhD and professor of dermatology at Brown, in a speech to the American Academy of Dermatology's Summer Meeting.
From 1995 to 2004, melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, has increased by more than 1 percent per year while overall cancer rates have decreased by 0.6 percent.
According to Dr. Weinstock, the increase in melanoma rates from 1995 to 2004 was not specific to one age group, but there was an increase in the youngest group (15 to 30) and the 60-plus group.
For more information on the studies that went into this report and about the AAD's Be Sun Smart program, see here.
Finding an unusual mole can be scary, especially if you don't know the difference between 'normal' and 'abnormal'. I had one a few years ago on my back, and it turned out to be normal but it freaked me out a bit.
A recent sunscreen ad by Neutrogena Sunscreen features a young woman with the caption, 'My sister accidentally killed herself. She died of Skin Cancer'. The message is clear: Those who die of the disease only have themselves to blame.
But that statement is generating some controversy from Skin Cancer specialists for a number of reasons, according to this article. Firstly, despite everything we hear about covering up, it's not a proven fact that sunscreen prevents melanoma, but it is thought that it protects against less deadly forms of skin cancer. Secondly, tests show that people who've had more sun exposure have a better chance of survival against melanoma than those who stayed out of the sun. And while the ad is meant to evoke fear by claiming that skin cancer is the most common cancer, it doesn't mention that skin cancer only accounts for 2% of cancer deaths and almost all of these are from Melanoma.
Still, I think protecting yourself against the sun is ultimately important, and that message is clear from the ad.
The woman in the advertisement holds up a picture of a smiling blonde while the text reads, "My sister accidentally killed herself. She died of skin cancer." The ads are financed by sunscreen manufacturer Neutrogena and warns that "left unchecked, skin cancer can be fatal," while encouraging them to use sunscreen and watch their skin.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, but most of the deaths attributed to skin cancer are from melanoma, which only make up 6 percent of skin-cancer cases. According to the article, the link between melanoma and sun exposure is not straightforward and there is currently a large-scale study in motion to further explore this link.
Endometriosis increases the risk of certain cancers according to a recent analysis by Dr Anna-Sofia Melin at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. About 63,000 women who had been given a diagnosis of endometriosis between 1969 and 2002 were identified. In endometriosis, cells that usually only grow within the uterus grow outside the uterus.
The researchers found that endometriosis increased the risk of developing ovarian cancer by more than a third above the risk for women who did not have endometriosis (37%). There were similar increases in risk for endocrine tumours (38%), kidney cancer (36%) and thyroid cancer (33%). Slightly lower increases were found for brain tumours (27%) and malignant melanoma (23%), and there was a small increased risk of breast cancer (8%). In contrast, women with endometriosis had a reduced risk of cervical cancer of just under a third (29%).
However, there was no difference found between the risk of cancer in women with endometriosis who had borne children versus those who had not.
Dr. Melin cautions that it is too early to use the results of this study to give advice to doctors, but she stated, "Our hope is that doctors in general start to view the endometriosis disease as a serious disease that causes a lot of suffering to the patient and also may lead to cancer. We hope that in the future we will be able to identify those women with endometriosis that may have a more aggressive form of disease with more atypical cells, for instance, and that this may lead to better care for the patient and, hopefully, to a early diagnosis if cancer should occur."
A new website assesses the effectiveness and safety of almost 800 sunscreens. The suncreen screening site was put together by the Environmental Working Group and gives detailed information about many sunscreen products. It also groups them by the types of harmful rays they're meant to protect against.
SPF numbers on sunscreens only cover UVB, the type of rays most responsible for burns. UVA is far less responsible for burning, but still can raise skin cancer risk. Only one sunscreen in five has effective UVA protection. There are ingredients that protect well against UVA, but sunlight can break down and make them ineffective if they are not formulated well.
Watch out for the commonly misleading claims -- all day protection, waterproof or chemical free products. You can check the website for sunscreens that are recommended and ones to be avoided.
A little while ago, Jacki wrote about Sarah, a young woman with Melanoma who died not long ago. In one of her last blog entries, Sarah lamented the loss of her friend Heather, calling Heather her inspiration. She urged readers to visit Heather's blog, claiming they would never be so uplifted and inspired. So I visited Heather's blog and it was bittersweet. From her last entry, after receiving good news from her doctor:
"I jumped. And the fall was endless, and I had no idea if anyone would be there to catch me, but I held on tight anyway. I kept the faith, held onto the hope, even though the odds looked so hopeless just a couple of short months ago. The fall was infinite.
"People don't often understand how a tiny skin blemish can kill," wrote Sarah Toller in her July 2, 2006 blog entry. Yet it call kill. And it killed Sarah on Tuesday, June 12, 2007.
On June 10, I wrote about Sarah. I wrote about how melanoma was claiming this young woman, how her husband was writing the final chapters of his wife's life on the blog she began just more than one year ago.
I visited Sarah's blog yesterday and read a closing statement written by her beloved. It was simple, to the point, and terrifyingly sad.
Sarah has been blogging about her battle with melanoma since May 2006. She begins with a post titled Something About Sarah where she chronicles the series of events leading up to her diagnosis.
July 2004
Have a bit of pain in right arm. Feels like "10 bees stinging me at once" deep inside my arm. Thought I pulled something at gym.
August 2004
Still have same occasional pain but not worried in the least. I'm enjoying my summer and playing soccer. Have tons of energy, working full time and going to school. Moving at end of August.
Over a million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States. Among those who are developing skin cancer at higher rates are adults. This fact seems a bit out of line to me; as a mother I am constantly slathering my kids in sunblock. I carry a tube in my purse and diaper bag, another tube lives in my car and there are several containers sprinkled throughout our house. Sunblock is not just a summertime accessory, it is a year-round necessity.
As mentioned by Brian White on our sister site, That's Fit, a recent study revealed that adults in some states are more negligent than in others. I was a bit surprised to learn that Utah is the worst culprit when it comes to sunburns, while Kentucky ranks in the bottom 10 states. I thought the beach states or the higher-altitude states like Colorado would rank higher. But regardless of rank, the fact that adult sunburns are the rise is alarming. Prevention is so easy and painless, the consequences too harsh. By simply donning a wide-brimmed hat, wearing longer sleeves, applying sunscreen, and not playing in the sun during the prime exposure hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., sunburns can be significantly reduced.
Melanoma that has spread to other areas of the body is a very difficult cancer to treat successfully. It usually does not respond well to chemotherapy. Sadly, those diagnosed with metastatic melanoma survive only about a year after diagnosis.
The combination of Taxol (paclitaxel) with carboplatin, added to an agent that prevents the growth of blood vessels called bevacizumab has been shown to significantly delay the spread of tumors in patients with advanced melanoma. A Phase II clinical trial showed that tumor growth was delayed by almost six months; typically these cancers begin to start spreading again in about eight weeks.
Dr. Domingo Perez, M.D., the lead author of the study says "The clinical benefit may seem small, but in the world of melanoma where there is very little progress, this is certainly a strong indication that the combination of chemotherapy with an antiangiogenic agent may be a valid treatment strategy for these patients."
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is the barrier between our inner and outer worlds. Our skin in one of the most important elements and yet it is one so often overlooked. We take our skin for granted much of the time, rarely believing that anything bad could come to something that regenerates itself. However, nearly half of all cancers come from skin cancer and melanoma.
Think about this: Taking care of our skin is one of the easiest acts we can do every day of our lives. For those in our families who are younger, we can take care of their skin and model good examples of skin care. Wonderful sun protection clothing is available in infant sizes so that those who need some of the best skin protection can start their lives with it. For those of us who are older, we can begin our days by applying a good, strong sunblock to all our exposed pieces before we leave the house. Add a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses and we are ready to face the world. A few simple but vital steps.
Protecting our skin is one of the simplest efforts we can make. Think about it and give it a try.
According to a study in The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, patients seeking to have a potentially cancerous mole evaluated by a dermatologist have to wait longer than those seeking Botox treatments for wrinkles. 
The farther patients have to travel to a reach a doctor to diagnose their melanoma, the more likely they are to have thicker skin cancer at diagnosis, according to a 
According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, 
The incidence of melanoma has steadily increased in the United States over the past several decades, according to Martin A. Weinstock, MD, PhD and professor of dermatology at Brown, in a speech to the American Academy of Dermatology's Summer Meeting.
Finding an unusual mole can be scary, especially if you don't know the difference between 'normal' and 'abnormal'. I had one a few years ago on my back, and it turned out to be normal but it freaked me out a bit. 
A recent sunscreen ad by Neutrogena Sunscreen features a young woman with the caption, 'My sister accidentally killed herself. She died of Skin Cancer'. The message is clear: Those who die of the disease only have themselves to blame.
An article by Christie Ashwanden in the New York Times Science & Health section this week covers the reaction of some doctors to the American Cancer Society's advertisements running in 15 women's magazines this summer
Endometriosis increases the risk of certain cancers
A new website assesses the effectiveness and safety of almost 800 sunscreens. 
A little while ago, Jacki wrote about 
"People don't often understand how a tiny skin blemish can kill," wrote Sarah Toller in her July 2, 2006 
Sarah has been blogging about her battle with melanoma since May 2006. She begins with a post titled 
Over a million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed every year in the United States. Among those who are developing skin cancer at higher rates are adults. This fact seems a bit out of line to me; as a mother I am constantly slathering my kids in sunblock. I carry a tube in my purse and diaper bag, another tube lives in my car and there are several containers sprinkled throughout our house. Sunblock is not just a summertime accessory, it is a year-round necessity. 
Melanoma that has spread to other areas of the body is a very difficult cancer to treat successfully. It usually does not respond well to chemotherapy. Sadly, those diagnosed with metastatic melanoma survive only about a year after diagnosis.
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is the barrier between our inner and outer worlds. Our skin in one of the most important elements and yet it is one so often overlooked. We take our skin for granted much of the time, rarely believing that anything bad could come to something that regenerates itself. However, 
