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Squamous Cell Carcinoma Blog

Includes: Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell, SCC

Blog (22)

Melanoma Drug's Link to Other Skin Cancers Identified

Posted 18 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 – The recently approved drug vemurafenib (Zelboraf) has been hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. But roughly one-quarter of patients who take the medication develop a troublesome side effect: secondary skin cancers called squamous cell carcinomas. Now, a new study by researchers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues identifies the specific genetic mechanism that causes this side effect. "What we found is that vemurafenib blocks the mutation that makes the melanoma grow, but when patients have skin cells with another mutation that's probably induced from sun exposure, there the drug has the exact opposite effect and causes these squamous cell cancers to grow," said Dr. Antoni Ribas, co-senior author of the study and an associate professor of ... Read more

Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Zelboraf, Vemurafenib

Smoking Linked to Skin Cancer in Women

Posted 15 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 15 – If you're a woman who smokes and you are looking for another reason to quit, consider this: A new study has found a link between tobacco use and skin cancer. The study found that women who had squamous cell skin cancer were more likely to have smoked than those who were free from the disease. And those who smoked at least 20 years were twice as likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer, a less aggressive form of skin cancer than melanoma. Men who smoked had a modest risk for the two types of non-melanoma skin cancer – basal cell and squamous cell cancer – but the results weren't statistically significant, the study authors noted. "We don't know why," said study lead author Dana Rollison, referring to the difference between women's and men's risk. Both men and women get a lot of exposure to the sun, the main risk factor for skin cancer, she noted. But lung cancer ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Skin Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Chronic Bowel Disease Drugs Linked to Skin Cancer Risk

Posted 23 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 22 – Some patients with inflammatory bowel disease may be at increased risk for skin cancer due to their use of immunosuppressant drugs to treat the intestinal disorder, according to the results of two new studies. The studies, published in the November issue of the journal Gastroenterology, noted that immunosuppressants are commonly used to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. Currently, there are no specific recommendations for skin cancer screening in IBD patients. In one study, French researchers led by Dr. Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, of University Hospital of Nancy, found that both past and present use of a widely used class of immunosuppressants called thiopurines significantly increased the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer in irritable bowel disease patients. "The increased risk of skin cancer that we found in our study was observed in all patients, ... Read more

Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms

Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more

Too Few Teens Know the Dangers of Tanning Beds: Poll

Posted 10 May 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 10 – Many tanning salons in the United States don't warn teens and young women about the skin cancer risks posed by tanning beds, according to a new survey. The American Academy of Dermatology's online poll included more than 3,800 white females aged 14 to 22 from across the country who were asked about their tanning knowledge, attitudes and behavior. The survey found that 43 percent of indoor tanners said they had never been warned about the dangers of tanning beds by tanning salon employees, and 30 percent said they hadn't noticed any warning labels on tanning beds. And the survey revealed some potentially deadly misperceptions about tanning beds. Younger tanning bed users (aged 14 to 17) were twice as likely as older users (aged 18 to 22) to incorrectly believe that tanning beds are safer than the sun (39 percent versus 15 percent), and more than three times as likely ... Read more

Fewer Cancer Patients May Be Depressed Than Thought

Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 20 – The rate of depression among cancer patients may be lower than previously believed, a new study indicates. An international team of researchers analyzed 94 studies involving more than 14,000 patients and found that about one-sixth of cancer patients suffer depression and about one-third have a more widely defined mood disorder. Only modest rates of depression and anxiety occurred in cancer patients in the first five years after diagnosis, which suggests that depression is not inevitable in these patients, the researchers said. Only when it was combined with other mood disorders was depression common, occurring in 30 percent of hospitalized cancer patients. The study is published online Jan. 19 in The Lancet Oncology. Rates of depression and anxiety were not significantly different between patients receiving palliative care (care designed to ease pain and increase ... Read more

1 in 5 Cancer Survivors Suffers Chronic Pain, Study Finds

Posted 20 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19 – More than 40 percent of cancer survivors experience pain, and the risk is highest among black and female patients, finds a new study. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System surveyed nearly 200 U.S. cancer survivors and found that 43 percent had experienced pain since their diagnosis, and 20 percent suffered chronic cancer-related pain at least two years later. Among white patients, the most significant source of pain was cancer surgery (53.8 percent), and among black patients the greatest source of pain was cancer treatment (46.2 percent), according to the report. In addition, the study found that compared to men, women had more pain, more pain flare-ups, more disability due to pain and were more depressed because of pain. The authors also noted that black patients were more likely to report greater severity of pain and more pain-related ... Read more

Thorough Exams a Must for Those at High Risk of Skin Cancer

Posted 18 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 17 – Patients at high risk for melanoma benefit from a follow-up program that can detect the deadly skin cancer at an early stage, new research finds, while a second study notes that embarrassment prevents some people from having a doctor examine their skin for suspicious lesions. Both studies appear in the journal Archives of Dermatology. People at high risk for melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, include those with fair skin, blond or red hair, blue eyes, freckles and/or a family history of the disease, as well as those who have been exposed to artificial UV-A radiation or who have suffered severe sunburns, especially during childhood. "Patients who are at high risk, who fit this profile, should be routinely screened [for skin cancer] annually along with other surveillance measures for colon cancer, mammograms, etc.," advised one dermatologist, Dr. Michele ... Read more

Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Recurrence of Oral Cancer Found to Signal Poor Outcome

Posted 22 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22 – How people fare when oral cancer recurs depends on where and when the cancer returns, a new study has found. The research included 77 people in Australia who'd had oral squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer that occurs in the thin, flat cells that line the lips and mouth. The cancer was treated with surgery, radiation or both. However, the cancer came back, and they all subsequently had what's called salvage surgery, which is a procedure to remove cancer after an initial treatment fails. The researchers found that people whose cancer recurred at the same site as the initial cancer tended to do worse if the disease returned within six months, whereas those with recurrence at a different site did worse if their cancer came back after six months or more. The overall five-year survival rate after salvage surgery was 50 percent. People who had initially had both surgery and ... Read more

Related support groups: Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Celebrex Shows Potential in Preventing Some Skin Cancers: Study

Posted 30 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 29 – The prescription painkiller Celebrex might help prevent non-melanoma skin cancers, a small study suggests. But one expert was quick to note that the drug, which is most commonly used to counter the pain of arthritis, has been linked in some studies to an increase in the risk for cardiovascular problems. So it isn't yet clear that Celebrex (celecoxib) is an ideal choice to prevent cancers that could be treated by other means. "We have a lot of different treatments for non-melanoma skin cancers," noted Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "I would want more information regarding the mechanism of action of Celebrex, because of the other risks," she said. The report, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and Pfizer, the maker of Celebrex, is published in the Nov. 29 online edition and the Dec. 15 print issue of the Journal of the ... Read more

Related support groups: Celebrex, Skin Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Demand for Radiation Therapy Predicted to Exceed Supply

Posted 21 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 21 – Over the next decade, the growth in demand for radiation therapy in the United States will be 10 times greater than the increase in new radiation oncologists, a difference that could affect cancer patients' access to treatment, according to a new study. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of patients requiring radiation therapy will increase 22 percent but the number of full-time radiation oncologists entering the workforce will increase just 2 percent, said researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and colleagues. They based their predictions on projections that this year 3,943 radiation oncologists will treat an estimated 470,000 patients in the United States. The large increase in demand for radiation therapy will be partly due to growing numbers of older adults and minorities, groups in which certain types of cancers are more ... Read more

Lower Income, Education Can Hamper Skin Cancer Care

Posted 19 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 19 – Skin cancer patients who are poor, uninsured and/or less well-educated appear to be less able to correctly identify the kind of malignancy they have, new U.S. research suggests. The finding could place such individuals at a higher risk for skin cancer recurrence, if their confusion prevents them from taking precautionary steps. "This study shows that a surprisingly large number of skin cancer patients are unaware of whether they were diagnosed with melanoma or nonmelanoma cancer," study author Elliot J. Coups, a behavioral scientist at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, said in an institute news release. "It is of concern that individuals with a lower level of education or income are more likely to lack knowledge of their skin cancer diagnosis type as they have a worse prognosis when diagnosed with melanoma," Coups added. Coups reports on his work in a research ... Read more

Cancer Patients' Secondary Symptoms Need Attention: Study

Posted 11 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Oct. 11 – Many cancer patients with pain or depression also experience physical symptoms, such as fatigue, dry mouth and nausea, that can cause disability, a new study shows. Doctors need to recognize and treat these symptoms in order to improve quality of life for cancer patients, said Dr. Kurt Kroenke, of the Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indiana University, and Regenstrief Institute Inc. in Indianapolis, and colleagues. They analyzed data from 405 cancer patients who had either pain or depression and found that all the patients had at least one of 22 physical symptoms examined in the study. More than half of patients reported 15 of the 22 symptoms. The most common symptoms were fatigue (97.5 percent), difficulty sleeping (about 79 percent), pain in limbs or joints (78 percent), back pain (nearly 75 percent) and memory problems (72 percent). The patients also reported ... Read more

Many Docs Deliver Cancer Diagnosis Badly: Study

Posted 7 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, July 7 – One patient found out he had cancer by reading his radiology report. Another got the news when her neurologist called to say he had arranged for her to see a neurosurgeon. When she asked why, the doctor told her she had a brain tumor and hung up. A third learned she had breast cancer listening to her answering machine with her grandson sitting on her lap. A new study about how people learn of cancer diagnoses finds that many doctors have poor communication skills and often leave patients stranded with devastating information about a deadly illness, sometimes in a public setting. One-third of the cancer patients in the U.S. National Cancer Institute study recalled being told on the phone, in an emergency room, radiology department or other public hospital setting that they had cancer, most often leukemia, lymphoma or brain tumors. "It's really dismaying to think that ... Read more

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