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Revised Sunscreen Labels Should Help Consumers Make Wiser Choices
Posted 5 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 20 – Dermatologists are saying that new federally mandated labeling laws for sunscreens should help Americans make smarter choices when it comes to products that provide the best sun protection. The new labels required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must provide information about whether a sunscreen will protect against skin cancer in addition to sunburn, and will also have to indicate whether a sunscreen is water-resistant, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. All sunscreens that don't meet the new FDA testing requirements have to have warning labels that outline their sun-protective limitations. A new survey of 1,400 sunscreen products by the Environmental Working Group found that most products meet the new FDA requirements. Still, one in seven products reviewed by the watchdog group claimed a sun protection factor, or SPF, rating higher than ... Read more
Related support groups: Sunburn, Skin Cancer, Sunscreen, Coppertone, Deeptan
Some Types of Skin Cancer Linked to Lower Chances of Alzheimer's
Posted 10 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 15 – There's some good news for people who have had certain kinds of skin cancer: A new study suggests that their odds of developing Alzheimer's disease may be significantly lower than it is for others. People who had non-melanoma skin cancer were nearly 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than people who did not. The association was not found with other types of dementia. To understand the possible association between skin cancer and Alzheimer's, it is important to know that people have a combination of cells that are multiplying and others that are dying, explained study author Dr. Richard Lipton, a professor of neurology, epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. The research was published online May 15 in the journal Neurology. "When cell division gets out of control, we call that cancer. And ... Read more
Related support groups: Alzheimer's Disease, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Red Hair Pigment Might Raise Melanoma Risk: Study
Posted 16 days ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 9 – The red in redheads' hair is thought to put them at increased risk of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma, even if they don't spend a lot of time in the sun, according to a new study. Study co-author Dr. David Fisher and his research team first uncovered the apparent link between red hair pigment and melanoma last fall. That study used genetically altered mice that had been given a mutant gene that increased their risk of contracting the skin cancer. Now the researchers are taking the next step: asking why the body's creation of the red hair pigment – called pheomelanin – might prompt that risk. Their new paper, published May 9 in the journal BioEssays, speculates that pheomelanin could increase skin cancer risk by leaving skin cells more vulnerable to DNA damage. By determining the way pheomelanin increases cancer risk, the researchers hope to figure out a way to ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma
FDA Proposes Tougher Warnings for Tanning Beds
Posted 19 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 6 – Despite a prior recommendation from its own expert advisory panel, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced that it does not plan to implement a ban on the use of indoor tanning devices by children. Instead, the agency is proposing bumping up "sunlamp products" from a low-risk, class I device to a moderate risk, class II device, and mandating that tanning devices have labeling warning against their use by young people. Numerous studies have supported strong links between use of UV ray-emitting indoor tanning devices and a raised risk for skin cancer. According to a statement released by the FDA, "the proposed order does not prohibit the use of sunlamp products by those under the age of 18, but it provides a warning on the consequences," the agency said in a news release. "The labeling would have to include a warning that frequent users of sunlamp ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer
For Some Seniors With Skin Cancer, Surgery Not Always Best Choice
Posted 30 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 30 – Surgery may not be the best option for treating non-melanoma skin cancer in frail, elderly patients, a new study reports. These patients face an increased risk of complications and may not live long enough to benefit from surgery, according to the researchers from the University of California, San Francisco. The investigators followed more than 1,300 patients with non-melanoma skin cancers for about a decade. About one-quarter of the patients were believed to have a short life expectancy because they were at least 85 years old and had multiple serious health conditions. Most of the patients in the study underwent surgery for their skin cancer, and one in five patients reported complications from the surgery. Nearly half of the patients with a short life expectancy died within five years and none of those deaths was from skin cancer. Instead, most of the deaths were ... Read more
Related support groups: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Non-Melanoma Skin Cancers Tied to Risk for Other Cancers
Posted 23 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 23 – White people with skin cancer that is not melanoma may be at greater risk for developing other forms of cancer, according to a new study. Patients with basal cell carcinoma had a 15 percent greater risk than other people of eventually having another type of cancer, researchers found. Meanwhile, patients with squamous cell carcinoma had a 26 percent increased risk. Although melanoma is more deadly, it is much less common than other types of skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. In conducting the new study, researchers led by Dr. Jiali Han, an associate professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, examined two large U.S. studies involving more than 51,000 male health professionals and nearly 122,000 female nurses. Among white participants, researchers identified more than 36,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and ... Read more
Related support groups: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Melanoma Rates Rising in U.S. Children
Posted 3 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 3 – Melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, doesn't usually occur in kids, but a new study shows that it's happening more often. While melanoma in children is still extremely rare, the rate increased by about 2 percent per year from 1973 to 2009 among U.S children from newborns to age 19. Melanoma accounts for up to 3 percent of all pediatric cancers, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. According to the study, 1,317 children were diagnosed with melanoma during the study time frame. Of these, 1,230 children were white. Because the number of melanoma cases among other racial and ethnic groups was so small, researchers focused the analysis on white children. The biggest jump in melanoma rates was seen among adolescents aged 15 to 19, especially girls, the study showed. The new findings were published in the May print issue of Pediatrics. Recent studies have ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma
Certain Skin Cancers More Common in HIV-Positive People
Posted 1 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 1 – Non-melanoma skin cancers are more common among people who are HIV-positive, according to new research. The study found that basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, two of the most common forms of cancer in the United States, occur more than twice as often among those with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). The greater risk for cancer among people with HIV is likely due to immune system deficiency, the researchers said, and those with the virus should take extra precautions to protect and monitor their skin. "The clinical implications for these findings include increased vigilance in skin-cancer screening for HIV-positive individuals, especially for squamous cell carcinomas and particularly for those who are not on antiretroviral therapy or who were diagnosed late and have more advanced HIV/AIDS," senior study author Dr. Maryam Asgari, a dermatologist and investigator ... Read more
Related support groups: HIV Infection, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Smartphone Apps for Skin Cancer Risk Aren't Reliable, Study Finds
Posted 16 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 – The reliability of smartphone applications to assess the risk of melanoma skin cancer is highly variable, and three of four apps incorrectly classified 30 percent or more of melanomas as not being a cause for concern, a new study finds. Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. The four apps examined in the study evaluate photographs of skin lesions and provide users with feedback on the likelihood of skin cancer. The researchers used 188 images of skin lesions (60 were melanoma and 128 were benign) to test the apps' sensitivity, specificity and predictive values. Sensitivity (the number of lesions correctly identified as being melanoma) of the four apps ranged from about 7 percent to 98 percent. The app with the highest sensitivity was one that sent the image of the skin lesion directly to a dermatologist for analysis. Specificity (the number of lesions ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma
Pain Intensity May Help Differentiate Two Skin Cancers
Posted 21 Dec 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Dec. 21 – Painful and itchy skin lesions may be a sign of a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma, according to a new study. Researchers looked at data from nearly 500 patients treated for either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of skin cancer. Itch was the most common symptom reported in both skin cancers – 43 percent of patients with squamous cell and 33 percent of those with basal cell reported the symptom. Pain was much more common in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (almost 40 percent) than in those with basal cell carcinoma (nearly 18 percent), the investigators found. A patient's pain score was an important predictor of having squamous cell instead of basal cell carcinoma, said study author Gil Yosipovitch, a professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. "We have shown ... Read more
Related support groups: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
UV Nail Lamps Don't Appear to Cause Skin Cancer
Posted 7 Dec 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Dec. 6 – If you routinely quick-dry manicure or pedicure polish by placing your fingers or toes under an ultraviolet lamp, you may find this reassuring: UV lamps used at nail salons do not appear to significantly increase the risk of a type of skin cancer called keratinocyte carcinoma. In a new study, researchers assessed the risk of keratinocyte carcinoma associated with the use of three UV nail lamp models. The lamps were considered to be representative of standard UV nail lamps, said researchers Alina Markova and Martin Weinstock, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Providence, R.I. Assuming 10 minutes of use per UV nail lamp session – a common length of time of use – the researchers calculated that it would take 250 years of weekly UV nail sessions to equal the risk of ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer
New Video Demonstrates Skin Cancer Self-Exam
Posted 4 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Nov. 3 – A new video that instructs people how to do a self-examination for skin cancer has been released by the American Academy of Dermatology. "Checking your skin for skin cancer only requires your eyes and a mirror. Involving a partner adds another set of eyes, which is especially helpful when checking the back and other hard-to-see areas," Dr. Thomas Rohrer, a dermatologist in private practice in Chestnut Hill, Mass., said in news release from the academy. "Examining your skin only takes a few minutes, but it could save your life." Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, according to the experts. "Current estimates show one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, so it's important to be familiar with your skin, especially your moles," Rohrer said. "Catching skin cancer early is key for successful treatment, so check ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer
Indoor Tanning Causes Common Skin Cancers, Study Finds
Posted 3 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Oct. 2 – Indoor tanning, already associated with an increased risk for the deadliest type of skin cancer, appears to increase the likelihood for other skin cancers as well. Tanning beds lead to more than 170,000 cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer each year in the United States. And the earlier you start, the worse the odds, researchers say. "Not only do tanning beds cause melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, but our study shows they also contribute to the most common cancer, basal and squamous cell skin cancer," said lead researcher Dr. Eleni Linos, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. "We could prevent hundreds of thousands of cancers each year by avoiding tanning beds," she added. The report was published online Oct. 2 in the BMJ. For the study, Linos' team analyzed 12 studies that included more than 9,000 ... Read more
Related support groups: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Melanoma, Melanoma - Metastatic, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Blood Pressure Drugs Linked to Lip Cancer in Study
Posted 7 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Aug. 6 – A new study suggests several high blood pressure drugs, including Adalat, Nifediac and Cordipin, increase the risk of lip cancer in white people, possibly because the medications increase susceptibility to sun damage. Lip cancer is very rare even among those who take the drugs, however, and the preliminary findings shouldn't convince patients to stop taking them, a researcher cautioned. "They should be on the medication that's best for them," said study lead author Dr. Gary Friedman, an adjunct investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California in Oakland. "It's really important to emphasize that this is a low-risk condition – a rare cancer that's generally easily treated and not life-threatening." Also, protection from the sun – such as sunscreen and hats – can ward off the sun damage that can lead to lip cancer, Friedman said. ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Lisinopril, Hypertension, Atenolol, Hydrochlorothiazide, Nifedipine, Tenormin, Skin Cancer, Procardia, Zestril, Adalat, Procardia XL, Dyazide, Maxzide, Hydrochlorothiazide/Triamterene, Nifediac CC, Nifedical XL, HydroDIURIL, Maxzide-25, Adalat CC
Common Skin Cancer a Chronic Condition, Study Says
Posted 2 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 2 – Here's yet another reason to go easy on the tanning this summer: A new study affirms that basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, should be viewed as a chronic disease. That's because once most people have a single occurrence, they are at risk of getting another. "Basal cell carcinoma has generally been viewed as something that comes up, is treated and cured," said Dr. Martin Weinstock, a study co-author and professor of dermatology at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, R.I. "For someone with an isolated lesion, that's a reasonable way of looking at it. But most people are constantly at risk of this and will be getting more." The study confirmed what was commonly understood about the disease: a prior history of basal cell carcinoma is the greatest risk for another lesion. But the research found that eczema may also ... Read more
Related support groups: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer
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