We thought this was an impactful video from the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund, a Canadian non-profit doing a good job of raising awareness among young people and their caregivers about the importance of prevention and early detection of Melanoma. This Public Service Announcement speaks for itself…and for many who are no longer able to tell their story of melanoma. Please share with everyone…and especially every 16 year old… that you know:
May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and we have a few ways to make the vigilance easier! First, we invite you to “like” our new MoleSafe Facebook page! We’ll try to keep you updated with interesting updates from all our locations and patient comments. Straightaway you might want to check out the patient video of the Walters sisters who get regular check-ups at our CentraState MoleSafe location after they were each diagnosed around age 30. They describe our approach and their version of sun protection vigilance, too.
Next, what better time than Mother’s Day to thank moms like the Walters sisters who now also ensure they practice safe sun exposure for their kids as well! As a reminder, that includes having them play in the shade, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreen regularly.
Speaking of sun exposure, SpaFinders is in on the awareness path with a sun-exposure alert bracelet! Much better idea than the “suntan turnover time alerts” we still hear on the radio some times…
Another way to make a “fashion statement” about melanoma is through the numerous items touting Melanoma Awareness which you can find at Zazzle.com, for example.
We applaud the AAD‘s “31 Days and 31 Ways” to Prevent and Detect Melanoma. Check out each of the days of May for good tips and suggestions, as well as their list of locations for free skin cancer check-ups. Of course, we believe that May is the best time — before summer kicks off — to get the most thorough exam possible using the latest high tech methods of screening for skin cancers and melanoma, and that is the methodology used by MoleSafe in the U.S. and MoleMap worldwide.
Here’s to a good, healthy month of May!
Today is Melanoma Monday, and as described in an upbeat but informative blog, “EGMN: Notes From the Road” – by the Maryland-based staff of the Elsevier Global Medical Network – Melanoma Monday could “use some love.” Melanoma Monday is a good idea — intended to kick off the stepped up education and outreach during May as Melanoma/ Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. However, it IS sort of challenging to love ANY Monday, associated with heading back to work, let alone one named Melanoma Monday.
EGMN sums it up with insight and humor:
…who would want to visit a website called Melanoma Monday unless you already have an interest in the disease. Which is too bad, because there is some cool stuff there that could help with melanoma prevention and early detection.
Free skin cancer screenings are being offered in May, and site visitors can find one near them. What if clinic waiting rooms let patients take the site’s Suntelligence Survey on a computer and offered sunscreen samples as prizes? And hey, let’s get the kids involved with the cool Body Mole Map that you can download from the .org site. Make it a game! Make it an annual birthday ritual now, so that by the time they’re young adults they’ll want to keep doing it for nostalgia’s sake, if nothing else.
So, EGMN, we agree, and we’re here to support Melanoma Monday and show it some love. Because what’s in a name, when lives could be saved? Coming up from Melanoma Updates (yes, perhaps we could have a more scintillating name, too!), we’ll share some resources and recommendations for loving the whole MONTH of Melanoma awareness.
At MoleSafe, we are quite used to seeing the super-enlargements and “high def” reality of various lesions, moles, skin blemishes and irregularities. After all, with our advanced detection technology we see details even macro-photography doesn’t reveal. (See an example in my post, Spotting Melanoma.) And, we have frequently promoted the ABCDEs of skin cancer self-exams and shared the rules of thumb about suspicious marks. However, there has rarely been a consumer news piece as clear and as, well, blatant, as CBSNews.com’s feature posted this week, of “38 photos that could save your life.” Certainly, our friends at the Skin Cancer Foundation, credited with these images, share examples on their site, but we felt the CBS spread was important for its ability to reach the general public.
This nodular lesion is a squamous cell carcinoma. These lesions are seldom fatal but can be disfiguring. Credit: The Skin Cancer Foundation
The images are startling, clear, and come with specific explanations of the whys and whats that distinguish the moles and lesions in the photos. They may be difficult for the average person to review, but I feel they are important as a way to increase awareness of what could be ignored or overlooked and with this kind of education what could, just as the title promises, save your life. Just as we felt about Dr. Oz and the “in your face” videos of skin cancers and prevention information that he shared, this photographic guide is worthy of a “Hat’s On” award for straightforward, helpful coverage of exactly what to look for in the variety of skin cancer presentations.
And yet again, here are those rules of thumb again for your skin self-exams and warning signs to heed:
There is still a feeling by many that tan-looking skin is preferable to pale. We’re still working to buck this perception Rome wasn’t built in a day. So, for those who still want the glow but have at least gotten the message that they should do it without the sun, here are some suggestions by NBC’s Today Show style editor, Bobbie Thomas on the best of sunless tanners.
Note: this is not an endorsement of any particular product…just an endorsement of getting the look you want in a safer way:
1. First up, cult favorite “Big Bronzer” by Cargo Cosmetics. The jumbo oversized palette will instantl
y warm up your face or body. With just a hint of shimmer, you can quickly apply a little or a lot for a natural looking glow.
2. For an even easy-to-apply application simply swipe on a little color… Kate Somerville’s Tanning Towelettes are paraben-free, streak-free and mess-free, while Dr. Denese’s Glow Younger Self-Tanning Gloves will do the same and offer anti-aging benefits.
3. New on the bronzing scene is Temptu’s Summer Skin 3 Step Air Pod system–perfect for die-hard spray tan fans who want to give it a go at home.
4. Last but not least, if you want a faux glow without the long-term commitment, L’Oreal and St. Tropez both offer great “1 Day” options that easily wash away with soap & water.
PS: The timing has never been better for encouraging your teen to try sunless tanners. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, which officially opposes indoor tanning and supports a ban on indoor tanning for non-medical purposes, most tanning salon patrons are white females in their teens and 20s. And not coincidentally they also point out:
Melanoma is the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old. Melanoma is increasing faster in females ages 15-29 than males in the same age group. The torso is the most common location for developing skin cancer which may be due to deliberate tanning. Studies have demonstrated that exposure to UV radiation during indoor tanning can lead to skin aging, immune suppression, and eye damage, including cataracts and ocular melanoma.
So consider Bobbie’s sunless tanners recommendations or take those of the AADA and just say no to tans altogether.
As we wrote about back in June, the most promising drug in the war on Melanoma, ipilimumab, was fast-tracked and finally approved as “Yervoy” for Bristol-Myers Squibb by the FDA last week.
Ipi is an immune therapy drug: it tries to activate or stimulate the immune system to clear cancer cells. While ipi’s funny name has not improved much with a brand name like Yervoy, it is anything but laughable. We have been challenged to make ANY progress with drug therapy and this new therapy is a welcome advance. With the usual current immuno-therapy treatments, such as interleukin, we haven’t been able to significantly extend the immune response to melanoma cells. As described on WebMD:
Yervoy appears to extend survival when used as a first-line treatment for inoperable stage III or stage IV melanoma, Bristol-Myers announced earlier this week. Details of the study will be reported at the June meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Yervoy is a biologic therapy. It’s a kind of man-made antibody (a monoclonal antibody) that blocks a crucial switch on immune cells called CTLA-4. Cancers use this switch to turn off the body’s anticancer immune responses.
Most drugs like this come with possibly severe side effects, and Yervoy is no exception. The drug can provoke powerful autoimmune reactions in which the immune system attacks normal cells in the body. In clinical trials, nearly 13% of patients taking Yervoy had severe or fatal autoimmune reactions.
Even with those caveats this does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel:
FDA approved the drug based on a Bristol Myers study of 676 people with advanced, inoperable melanoma who had already failed two other treatments, giving them a very short life expectancy. They were given one of three treatments: ipilimumab by itself, ipilimumab combined with another immune-stimulating treatment, or the immune-stimulating treatment alone.
Average survival was 10 months with ipilimumab versus just more than six months for the others. But a very small group of patients survived longer than six years, suggesting that with more study the drug could be targeted to those who will respond the most.
About 85 percent of patients had little response to the drug. Researchers say the response rate should improve as the drug is used earlier in the disease cycle.
“I think the direction this is headed is toward intervening earlier, when patients’ immune systems are still intact, rather than waiting until they are so sick,” said Dr. Anna Pavlick, director of the New York University’s melanoma program. Pavlick, a spokeswoman for the Skin Cancer Foundation, helped conduct several early-stage trials of ipilimumab.
Bristol-Myers Squibb expects to begin shipping YERVOY within weeks.
No, the end of our title line, “Another Season, Another Reason…” is NOT “for makin’ whoopie” as the song goes. It’s a reminder that Spring has sprung whether or not you feel the new season in the air in your neck of the woods yet. That means our hours of sunshine are increasing…and THAT is another reason to remember to make your annual appointment for a comprehensive skin cancer skin exam — we hope at MoleSafe. However, if you’re not in our neck of the woods with our six locations, there’s another resource that may be coming to YOU soon:
Thanks to our friends at the Skin Cancer Foundation, you can take advantage of their 4th annual skin cancer screening tour, which kicked off again just last week.
The 2011 Tour will make an estimated 80 stops in 24 states. After kicking off in Jacksonville, Florida on March 11, the Tour bus, a 38-foot customized RV with two exam rooms, will travel around the country stopping in some new cities this year. The Tour reaches New York City just in time for Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May. The 2011 Road to Healthy Skin Tour will conclude in New Orleans on September 17.
Tour Route: Skin Cancer Foundation Screening Bus
So, here, there and everywhere (a line from another great song!) is an opportunity to look out for yourself and your loved ones; no excuses! Plan your checkup today. You can even use their site to “tell a friend.” Please do; a life could depend on it.
Rory Sabbatini won another golf tournament last week, making it a sixth PGA title and earning him a slot in the Masters. But he won a bigger round just a few months ago, when he caught and had a skin cancer on his face removed.
Rory Sabbatini Prevails on the Course and Against Skin Cancer
As reported by Reuters, “Nine days after the birth of the Sabbatinis’ third child, Bodhi Mac, the golfer went under the knife to have a cancerous growth removed from his face. The scare has led to him wearing a broad rimmed hat and smearing his face in a special sun-cream each time he steps on a golf course.”
I think Rory deserves the Hats On Award, not just for making sun protection a fashion statement on the course, but for all he’s doing to promote awareness. As posted in Golf Week,
The bad news is five-time PGA Tour winner Rory Sabbatini was diagnosed with skin cancer in December. The good news is he is “fine” after surgery, though he will have to be careful and wear big hats and be diligent in applying sunscreen. The better news is Sabbatini, among the top 20 in Tour earnings four of the past seven years, is planning to raise money for charity through a sunscreen-related launch at next week’s PGA Merchandise Show.
SmartShield has announced a partnership with Rory promoting it as his official sunscreen. Rory began wearing the SmartShield logo on his shirt and covering his face and arms with the sunscreen at the Sony Open in Hawaii. 
As golf season is dawning again with Spring around the corner, make sure you are course-correcting with these suggestions from another terrific post in Golf Week :
“Everybody needs to be smart,” said David Donatucci, the PGA’s director of fitness and performance. “As a golfer, you’re out in the sun for five hours. You need sunscreen. You need to reapply sunscreen. You need to drink water. You need to eat a little something. All these things need to become habits, and that’s the message we are spreading….Sunscreens are becoming more user-friendly.
Golfers should wear it every time they play, regardless of conditions. Playing golf in cloudy conditions doesn’t protect you from UV rays. They come through the clouds.”
Duke University is testing a promising new Melanoma detection laser - which, for the first time, gives scientists the ability to identify substantial chemical differences between cancerous and healthy skin tissues and prevent unnecessary biopsies, by identifying a pigment more prominent in cancerous moles. As of now it is being tested on biopsied tissue samples, but may eventually be an effective pre-biopsy tool as well.
There are two issues at play here. The first is the need for improved detection of Melanoma. As we’ve noted here repeatedly, the MoleSafe technique takes skin cancer assessments and screenings to the next level, well beyond the “naked eye exam,” which, as I described again in my last post, is a good precursory practice between more rigorous screenings but is out-dated when used as the exclusive approach. The second issue is that there is still the challenge in interpreting the results of biopsies of suspicious moles, no matter how they are discovered.
As the Duke article says,
Doctors typically use a light and a magnifying glass or tissue biopsy, where a pathologist removes suspicious skin cells and looks at them under a microscope, to spot signs of disease. But using a lens and a light is a “17th century” technique that is only 85 percent accurate, at best, and tissue biopsy is not much more reliable…
In 14 percent of biopsy diagnoses, pathologists would disagree on whether or not the sampled cells were cancerous, according to a 2010 study published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. The statistic implies that two pathologists would have opposing diagnoses on 214,000 to 643,000 melanoma cases each year.
Since, as a result, many doctors will follow the “when in doubt, cut it out” philosophy, this new laser holds the promise of maximizing accurate diagnoses, and down the road perhaps being a promising pre-biopsy screening tool as well.
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In other screening news, Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek reported on a story posted in the Archives of Dermatology on the increased skin self-exams conducted by kidney transplant patients from good old-fashioned education and information. Compliance in self-exams jumped to 89% among those in the study group, resulting in a dozen patients actually spotting an area of concern and making an appointment with their dermatologist.
The patients in the intervention group were given printed educational materials to promote skin self-examination. The patients in the control group did not receive the educational materials. Follow-up revealed that patients in the intervention group were much more likely to perform skin self-examinations than those in the control group — 89 percent vs. 22 percent.
This just underscores the ongoing need for education and awareness. We hope more physicians will take the time to educate ALL patients – high risk or not.
Valentine’s Day is upon us once again with another a way to show your love, and show your skin! According to the Skin Cancer Foundation couples with close bonds are about three times more likely to perform a mutual skin exam. Unofficial sources suggest those couples have more fun, too! But kidding aside, we all need to find every opportunity to scrutinize our skin, from head to between the toes. Here’s how. 
While dermatascopes and the analyses used at MoleSafe are the most effective in detecting skin cancers and Melanoma, being vigilant by starting with your own naked eye exam is important, too. AND it’s important for doctors to mandate that as well. Shockingly, only 59.6 percent of family practitioners and 56.4 percent of internists conduct regular full-body skin exams, compared to 81.3 percent of dermatologists. (We would like to know why it is not 100% of dermatologists, though.)
According to a story in Bloomberg Businessweek last month,
“The most common reasons for not performing this type of examination were patient embarrassment/reluctance, time constraints, and other patient illnesses.”
About half of the internists and family practitioners cited time constraints as an impediment to conducting the naked eye exams.
I find all those reasons unacceptable since taking five minutes is nothing compared to a diseases that takes lives.
Our post in 2009 here on Melanoma Updates publicized the suggestion that not only should medical students be trained in naked eye exams no matter their ultimate specialization, but asking your doctor to keep an eye open while checking your lungs and seeing your back, or seeing your legs while checking your reflexes.
So, show the love this year and start by checking yourself, check your mate, and check with your doctor.
