Filed under: Breast Cancer , Skin Cancer , Survivor Spotlight I did a post back in August of last year about my friend Larissa's journey through breast cancer. Larissa was just recently diagnosed with cancer again. This time it was skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

Filed under: All Cancers , Environment , Diets , Exercise , Smoking , Sunday Seven Who knows which pieces of cancer information floating around out there are actually true? I don't. Do cell phones cause cancer? Some say yes, some say no, I say I'm confused! Luckily, I happened upon this Discovery Health article that highlights a variety of myths and then offers the lowdown on each one. Here are seven of them: Myth #1. There is currently a cure for cancer, but the medical industry won't tell the public about it because they make too much money treating cancer patients. Chalk this up to urban legend. And consider this: doctors, laboratory scientists, and their families and friends die of cancer at the same rate as everyone else in the United States. How about this: medical breakthroughs happen all the time and are quickly applied. Think about antibiotics and vaccines -- like the polio vaccine -- that have transformed health care. How about this? Not too long ago, less than one in 10 kids with leukemia survived 10 years. Now, the cure rate is nearly 80 percent. Seems like progress to me. Myth #2. Electronic devices, like cell phones, can cause cancer in the people who use them. Although very few studies suggest a link between rare types of brain tumors and cell phone use, the consensus among most research is that there is no consistent association between the two. The same goes for microwaves and related appliances that emit low-frequency radiation. Myth #3. Treating cancer with surgery causes it to spread throughout the body. This belief may have started many years ago when most patients already had very advanced forms of cancer at the time of surgery. Doctors may have detected a widespread disease that could not be successfully treated. When the patient died a short time later, some may have believed the surgery caused the cells to spread and kill the patient. The truth, however, is that doctors have long known how to safely take biopsies and remove tumors without causing any spread. In many cases, surgery is essential for survival. In cases where cells could be dislodged, doctors take proper precautions. For example, in testicular cancer cases, the entire testicle is removed to prevent this scenario. Myth #4. Regularly eating meat cooked on a charcoal grill won't increase cancer risk. Chemists have determined that grilling meats creates chemicals linked to cancer in animals, and you can increase your cancer risk by eating too much grilled red meat or chicken -- or even meat pan-fried at a very high temperature. So stay away from meat or chicken that is well-done or burnt. And try to eat grilled meats only occasionally. Myth #5. The risk of dying from cancer in the United States is increasing. Nope. Sometimes cancer figures are reported out of context, but the actual number of people dying from cancer is dropping. Cancer diagnoses and deaths have been decreasing since the early 1990s -- and less than half of those diagnosed with cancer today will die of the disease. Myth #6. What someone does as a young adult has little impact on their chances of getting cancer later in life. Lifestyle choices that begin early in life can increase the risk of developing cancer. The use of tobacco, diet, exercise, and exposure to the sun all have a cumulative effect, and most cases of cancer are consequences of many years of engaging in risky behaviors. More than two-thirds of all fatal cancer cases could have been prevented with simple lifestyle changes. Clearly, what we do early in life can come back to haunt us. Myth #7. You can prevent skin cancer by putting on one application of sunscreen at the start of each day. Slathering on sunscreen on a daily basis can give a false sense of security. It simply must be reapplied -- and even then, it offers on a certain level of protection. To make sure your skin is safe from UV rays, keep that sunscreen around, but also gather up some hats, long-sleeved shirts, and sunglasses -- and use them. And try to hide from the sun between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Daily news Last Tuesday night, I watched Greta Van Susteren of Fox News' On The Record as she interviewed Brittany Lietz, Miss Maryland 2006. Greta asked Brittany what her Miss Maryland job entails. Brittany told Greta her full-time job is to represent her platform -- skin cancer. Brittany didn't choose just any topic for her platform. She chose one that is entirely personal. Skin cancer has left more than 20 scars on Brittany's body. One, on her back, marks the site where a stage two melanoma was removed when she was just 19 years old. It presented as a mole, a little smaller than a nickel, she says. In all likelihood, the cancer was caused by two years of tanning bed use. Brittany says she probably tanned every day for two years. Her pursuit of bronzed skin began when she was 17 and wanted a tan for her prom. It ended after doctors told her she had cancer. Brittany's cancer was caught early and both she and her dermatologist believe her prognosis is good. Between Brittany's vigilant monitoring of her own skin and her every-three-month doctor visits, anything suspicious that pops up will surely be detected. Greta asked Brittany's dermatologist what it is about skin cancer that we just don't get. Here is what she said: UV radiation is a carcinogen .

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Daily news For many young people, the risk of wrinkling is a bigger tanning deterrent than the risk of skin cancer. How's that for some misplaced worry? Now if the wrinkle-worry gets these youngsters to stop tanning, then I'm happy. Still, it amazes me that warnings about skin cancer still are not taken seriously. "We don't know for sure, but there's some suggestive evidence that young people are more influenced by thinking about themselves getting old faster, than thinking about themselves getting a skin cancer," says one doctor. Experts say that perhaps young people see themselves as invincible and don't believe they can really get skin cancer. One young girl, who worried she was starting to look older after regular tanning bed use, says: "Even though skin cancer does run in my family, it was the crow's feet that scared me."

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Prevention , Research , Daily news As Skin Cancer Awareness Month winds down, I find myself hoping you have learned a thing or two about a disease that is far more common than we tend to believe, a diseases that in some cases is downright deadly. The month of May will soon drift away. Skin cancer will not -- unless of course we make huge, swift strides in prevention. Until this happens, though, the best we can do is be vigilant about early detection. I have an idea. Well, an idea I'm borrowing from The Archives of Dermatology. The idea: photography. Studies show patients who use photographs of their own skin for reference are better able to detect skin changes while conducting self-examinations. Got a camera handy? A buddy who can snap a few shots? If so, you may just save yourself from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Atypical nevi -- pigmented moles that may change shape or have irregular borders -- are the strongest risk factor for melanoma. The presence of numerous atypical nevi can make self-exams difficult. And because total removal of all moles is impractical, close self-monitoring is critical. Consider taking some baseline shots of every nook and cranny of your skin, especially the parts populated by moles, freckles, and other marks. Save the pictures. During your next self-exam, use the photos for comparison. You can even take new pictures of old moles and determine whether or not they've changed over time. As with all early detection for all cancers, much of the work is up to the individual. So do your part. Please.

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Prevention , Thought for the Day It's May. Summer is upon us. So is the hot sun. What a perfect time for an awareness month. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. So now is the time to learn a thing or two about a disease that is largely preventable, extremely deadly, and almost 100 percent curable when caught early. Think about this: Someone dies of melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer -- every 65 minutes. Women ages 20-29 are most at risk, with melanoma ranking as the second most common cancer in this age group. But anyone, regardless of skin color or age, can develop skin cancer. More than one million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year -- shocking considering the cause of the disease is no secret: skin cancer is caused mostly by too much sun exposure. OK, how about some good news? In recognition of this awareness month, Olay and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) have partnered for the third year and are offering a nationwide free skin cancer screening program. Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross -- who's had two family members stricken by melanoma -- is the face of this campaign, intended to raise awareness about the importance of prevention and detection. Cross, Olay, and ASDS say regular screenings and daily protection from the sun's dangerous UV rays are the best defenses against skin cancer. And so during May, June, and July, this team is making sure your screening is free. Visit http://www.skincancertakesfriends.org/ to locate a dermatologist offering complimentary screenings. Once you get an appointment, take a friend. It's free for both of you. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Melanoma , Prevention , Research , Daily news , Thought for the Day I remember a time when I visited tanning salons and was assured by those working the front desks that tanning beds were safer than the sun. Many years later, I know this is entirely untrue. Think about this: The New Zealand Cancer Society experts say sunbeds should never be used as a tanning method because the risk of skin cancer is too great. Tanning bed UV radiation is five times stronger than UV from the sun, says one doctor who also suggests people wrongly assume sunbeds are safer than the sun. Instead, they place individuals at significant risk for harm. In fact, the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest from of skin cancer, increases by 75 percent for those who use a tanning bed before the age of 35. The Cancer Society, wishing to ban the use of sunbeds for anyone under age 18, has commissioned further research into the use of this deadly practice. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Chemotherapy , Cancer Survivors It feels like summer here in Florida. Our temps topped 86 degrees last week and this kind of heat prompts my little boys to request their favorite summertime activity: swimming. My kids don't quite understand that the temperature outside is not the same as the temperature of unheated water. And so as soon as warm weather arrives, they dash for their suits and insist we make a trip to the neighborhood pool. I oblige, convinced they'll want to head home once they submerge their piggy toes in pure ice. But somehow, the temperature doesn't register. They plunge right in, dunk their heads and kick and flop and float. They are happy as clams, quivering lips and all. I am happy too as I watch their joyous moments from the privacy of my lounge chair, tucked away in the shade that borders my kids' perfect playland. Thanks to chemo, I am the mommy who hides in the shadows during any sunny event. It's been two whole years since my last dose of toxic drugs, but something about the sun and the heat and the residual effects of my infused poison causes my skin to produce red, itchy, unsightly bumps. It happened last year and already this year and I'm wondering now if this will be a life-long nuisance, if I will be seeking shade for the rest of my years. It's all OK really. Secluding myself from the sun's rays is a pretty healthy venture. And I'm not a real pool enthusiast. Any my boys are old enough to swim independently. And it's peaceful in the shade. So I'm not bitter about this unexpected side effect of chemo -- it's called UV recall -- and I'm not complaining. I'm merely marveling at the power of the drugs that hopefully killed all the cancer in my body, the drugs that seem to creep back year after year, perhaps reminding me that in the whole scheme of things, red, itchy, unsightly bumps are not such a bad life condition. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Research , Daily news The skin cancer we so desperately try to avoid may be caused, in part, by the very thing we use to prevent the disease -- sunscreen. Scientists at the University of California report in the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine that some of the chemicals found in sunscreen products can become cancer-causing agents once they are absorbed into the skin. And perhaps this is why more and more people are developing skin cancer, despite the increasing use of sun lotions. "Sunscreens may be doing more harm than good," says lead researcher Dr. Kerry Hanson. May is the important word here. Sunscreens may contribute in some way to the incidence of skin cancer. But the jury is still out. And experts are not sure right now how significant this research will be in the long run. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Cancer Survivors This comment just arrived in response to yesterday's post Headed for melanoma , and it's just too raw and powerful to leave buried in the comment section of the site. So here it is, word for word -- a chilling and empowering message from a 37-year-old mom of two living with a disease that is downright deadly. I have melanoma. I was diagnosed last August and have had 6 surgeries in 6 months. I have lost 4 members in my melanoma support group. I go to Jaime's funeral tomorrow afternoon. She was 29 years old. Heather was 37 when she died on March 2, 2007. The midwife noticed a suspicious mole on her leg during the birth of her 4th child. She died 23 months later. Jan was a mother of 5 ages 9 to 19, she passed away on February 8, 2007. Ceri was only 20 years old when melanoma claimed her life on January 14, 2007. I always thought skin cancer had to be HUGE, ugly, and hard to ignore. I didn't know it could be small, have no symptoms, and KILL you. Melanoma incidence is increasing faster than any other cancer. According to statistics found on the American Cancer Society's website ( www.cancer.org ), the prognosis for someone diagnosed with melanoma is worse, stage for stage, than someone with breast cancer. Getting more than 3 blistering sunburns during childhood doubles your risk. Sunbed use increases ones risk. Having fair skin and light eyes also puts you at a higher than average risk, but having dark skin does not make you immune. Bob Marley died from Melanoma in 1981. Everyone at higher risk should get screened by a dermatologist every year. And all of us should be checking our own skin each month. Melanoma is a virulent and aggressive cancer. It begins in the melanocytes, or the pigment in the skin. It presents itself as a change in an existing mole or skin pigment, or in the formation of a new one. It is easily treated in its most early stages. Once it spreads, though, it is often fatal. Unfortunately, there is no cure for melanoma. Melanoma is one of the cancers that won't respond to conventional chemotherapy. There have been no significant advances in the medical treatment or survival rate in the last 30 years. More awareness is needed. Most think "it's only skin cancer" and consider it nothing serious. But I can tell you with absolute certainty, they are DEAD wrong. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments