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 Sun...
At Your Own Risk
What's the most prevalent cancer among women, 25-29? Skin cancer
- caused, in most cases, by sun exposure.
We've
all heard the warnings of dermatologists about the dangers of
sun tanning. But, did you know that the incidence of melanoma
- the most serious form of skin cancer - has now skyrocketed from
1 case in 1500 people to 1 in 75?
Fact:
This year (2000), according to the American Cancer Society, 47,700
people will be diagnosed with melanoma.
Fact:
7,700 people will die.
Fact:
Melanoma is now the most prevalent cancer among women, ages of
25 and 29.
Fact:
Melanoma is the second most prevalent cancer, after
breast cancer, among women between 30 and 34.
Fact:
Melanoma accounts for 4% of all skin cancers detected -- but 79%
of all cancer deaths.
Fact:
If detected early, melanoma is almost always curable. However,
it is much more likely than basal or squamous cell cancer to metastasize
(spread) to other parts of the body.
Melanoma
is much less common than basal cell (75% of all skin cancer) and
squamous cell (about 20% of all skin cancer), but, clearly, far
more serious.
The
Most Common Symptom Of Skin Cancer - A Change In A Mole
Doctors
tell us to get a check up if we notice a change in the size, shape
or color of a mole or freckle.
But
it's not the visible change of the mole that's most significant,
but how deeply the change in the tissue has penetrated into the
dermis. Anything deeper than 1.5 millimeters is serious because
at that level melanoma can metastasize into your lymph nodes.
Melanoma is fast and deadly. It can also metastasize through the
blood to the brain, lungs - anywhere in your body and in all your
organs, in fact. It's a cancer that, if its spread too far, is
not successfully treated by chemotherapy, radiation, interferon
or any other known cancer treatment today.
Who's
At Risk
The
light-skinned, fair-haired and light-eyed are most at risk, say
dermatologists. Also the very young and the very old, whose skin
tends to be thinner and more fragile. And anyone with a family history
of melanoma or other skin cancers should be vigilant about protection.
There is also some evidence women are more at risk for melanoma
during pregnancy and postpartum because melanocyte-stimulating harmones
are secreted by the brain during that time and they may cause skin
to burn faster. Even dark-skinned African-Americans are at risk,
because skin cancer can occur on the lighter areas of palms and
the soles of the feet.
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Why
Does The Skin Tan At All?
Tanning
is actually the skin's first defense against further damage. We
tan to form a protective barrier so the sun cannot get into the
lower layers of the skin where the DNA can get genetically mutated
- which can lead to precancerous and cancerous conditions. The
more pigment our skin has naturally, the more protection it gives
us from burning. Scientists say that people living near the equator
developed darker skins as a means of protection from the searing
sunlight of those regions. But don't be complacent. Even people
of Latin, African or Mediterranean descent, with plenty of pigment
in their skin, are showing up in doctors' offices these days with
melanoma and sun-related skin problems.
The
3 kinds of sun-caused skin cancer:
Basal
cell carcinoma (non-melanoma cancer)
75% of all skin cancers
Survival rate after 5 years: 99%
Squamous
cell carcinoma (non-melanoma cancer)
20% of all skin cancers
Survival rate after 5 years: 95%
» 1.3 million new cases of non-melanoma skin
cancer will be diagnosed in 2000
» 1,900 deaths from non-melanoma cancers will
occur in 2000
Melanoma
Skin Cancer (advanced malignant melanoma)
4-5% of all skin cancers
79% of all cancer deaths
» 47,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2000
» 7,700 deaths from melanoma cancer will occur
in 2000
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