Medications
For basal cell carcinoma, prescription creams such as fluorouracil (Efudex) are used with caution because cancer can still spread under the healed surface of the skin. Many experts are now placing hope in a cream called imiquimod (Aldara), normally used for genital warts. In pilot studies, this cream has successfully cleared up superificial basal cell cancers in about 90 percent of patients.
Although medications aren't needed to treat thin melanomas (typically less than 1.5 mm thick), if the cancer has spread, you'll want to consider chemotherapy to stop the growth and ease discomfort. Just remember no drug is a 'cure', and all can cause side effects. Some drugs are given intravenously, others are taken orally. Dacarbazine (DTIC) is commonly used, although a combination of DTIC, carmustine (BCNU), cisplatin and tamoxifen is becoming popular. Researchers worldwide are constantly testing new blends.
If your melanoma is advanced, you might want to find out about the developing field of immunotherapy (also called biological therapy.) This drug strategy enlists the help of interferon-alpha (Intron-A), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF), chemicals that naturally occur in your body and that are produced in part by your white cells. When manufactured outside of the body, these agents can be injected in drug form to stimulate your immune system to vigourously fight the melanoma tumour.
>IT'S MYTH that pulling hairs from moles will make them cancerous. Plucking the hairs but with a tweezer might irritate the mole, but that's about all.
Clinical trials report long-term remission (sometimes for years) in about 6 percent of people taking
DEFEND AGAINST THOSE DEADLY RAYS
If you have a skin cancer now, there's a good chance it's because of the sun exposure (and bad sunburns) you got as a child; about 80% of sun damage occurs before age 18. Here are some strategies to defend against future damage.
Sunscreens
At least 20 to 30 minutes before going outside,put on a broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) sunscreen. Use a product rated SPF 30+ or higher if you burn easily or will be near reflective surfaces, such as at the beach. Do not rub the cream in--a light film should stay visible. Reapply often (every 90 minutes or so) while you're outside and put on more after exercising or exiting the water. Sunscreens should always be used in conjunction with other forms of protection, such as hats and clothing.
Products which contain Zinc or titanium oxide are particularly effective. They dry to a white film on the skin. Use enough to achieve the protection advertised on the label and reapply as you would with a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
UPF Factor
In Ausralia, some garments are given an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). The UPF is based on the degree that light penerates a garment as well as its thickness (density). The higher the UPF, the better the garment's sun protection. Your standard white cotton T-shirt, for example, has a UPF of 7 while a pair of dark blue jeans has 1000. When swimming, opt for sunscreen instead of the T-shirt; cotton fabrics lose up to 50% of their sun-protective capacity when wet.
Avoidance
It is important to note that sunscreens will not provide complete protection. You need to try to say out of the sun in the high danger period from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As well as covering up with protective clothing, you should also wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses to minimise the risks from sun exposure.
Intron-A, and IL-2, however, many refinements are still needed. The agent most commonly used--interferon-alpha--boosts survival only modestly and can be highly toxic (many say it feels like about of Asian flu).
Experimental work in combining immunotherapy with anti-melanoma vaccines has generated great excitement. Unlike flu vaccines, such drugs are not given to prevent the disease but rather to keep it from getting worse. The injection contains fragements of melanoma cells called antigens, essentially little flags on the cell surface that signal they are foreign invaders. By bombarding the body with these antigens, it's hoped the immune system will launch its own attack on the melanoma cells. While there's no vaccine on the market just yet, clinical trial successes are generating high expectations for this treatment approach.
For a melanoma that has spread or reappeared on an arm or leg, ask about chemotherapeutic regional perfusion, a technique in which drugs are infused into affected areas, sparing most of the body a toxic reaction to chemotherapy.
Lifestyle changes
Take care to avoid UV rays in any way possible (see box above). Two other smart moves you can make are to check your own skin frequently for suspicious changes and to schedule regular skin checks with a dermatologist or a skin clinic.
The bottom line: the earlier you catch a skin cancer, the greater your chances of eliminating it with minimal scarring and, in the case of malignant melanoma, of staying alive.
For basal cell carcinoma, prescription creams such as fluorouracil (Efudex) are used with caution because cancer can still spread under the healed surface of the skin. Many experts are now placing hope in a cream called imiquimod (Aldara), normally used for genital warts. In pilot studies, this cream has successfully cleared up superificial basal cell cancers in about 90 percent of patients.
Although medications aren't needed to treat thin melanomas (typically less than 1.5 mm thick), if the cancer has spread, you'll want to consider chemotherapy to stop the growth and ease discomfort. Just remember no drug is a 'cure', and all can cause side effects. Some drugs are given intravenously, others are taken orally. Dacarbazine (DTIC) is commonly used, although a combination of DTIC, carmustine (BCNU), cisplatin and tamoxifen is becoming popular. Researchers worldwide are constantly testing new blends.
If your melanoma is advanced, you might want to find out about the developing field of immunotherapy (also called biological therapy.) This drug strategy enlists the help of interferon-alpha (Intron-A), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF), chemicals that naturally occur in your body and that are produced in part by your white cells. When manufactured outside of the body, these agents can be injected in drug form to stimulate your immune system to vigourously fight the melanoma tumour.
>IT'S MYTH that pulling hairs from moles will make them cancerous. Plucking the hairs but with a tweezer might irritate the mole, but that's about all.
Clinical trials report long-term remission (sometimes for years) in about 6 percent of people taking
DEFEND AGAINST THOSE DEADLY RAYS
If you have a skin cancer now, there's a good chance it's because of the sun exposure (and bad sunburns) you got as a child; about 80% of sun damage occurs before age 18. Here are some strategies to defend against future damage.
Sunscreens
At least 20 to 30 minutes before going outside,put on a broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) sunscreen. Use a product rated SPF 30+ or higher if you burn easily or will be near reflective surfaces, such as at the beach. Do not rub the cream in--a light film should stay visible. Reapply often (every 90 minutes or so) while you're outside and put on more after exercising or exiting the water. Sunscreens should always be used in conjunction with other forms of protection, such as hats and clothing.
Products which contain Zinc or titanium oxide are particularly effective. They dry to a white film on the skin. Use enough to achieve the protection advertised on the label and reapply as you would with a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
UPF Factor
In Ausralia, some garments are given an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). The UPF is based on the degree that light penerates a garment as well as its thickness (density). The higher the UPF, the better the garment's sun protection. Your standard white cotton T-shirt, for example, has a UPF of 7 while a pair of dark blue jeans has 1000. When swimming, opt for sunscreen instead of the T-shirt; cotton fabrics lose up to 50% of their sun-protective capacity when wet.
Avoidance
It is important to note that sunscreens will not provide complete protection. You need to try to say out of the sun in the high danger period from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As well as covering up with protective clothing, you should also wear a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses to minimise the risks from sun exposure.
Intron-A, and IL-2, however, many refinements are still needed. The agent most commonly used--interferon-alpha--boosts survival only modestly and can be highly toxic (many say it feels like about of Asian flu).
Experimental work in combining immunotherapy with anti-melanoma vaccines has generated great excitement. Unlike flu vaccines, such drugs are not given to prevent the disease but rather to keep it from getting worse. The injection contains fragements of melanoma cells called antigens, essentially little flags on the cell surface that signal they are foreign invaders. By bombarding the body with these antigens, it's hoped the immune system will launch its own attack on the melanoma cells. While there's no vaccine on the market just yet, clinical trial successes are generating high expectations for this treatment approach.
For a melanoma that has spread or reappeared on an arm or leg, ask about chemotherapeutic regional perfusion, a technique in which drugs are infused into affected areas, sparing most of the body a toxic reaction to chemotherapy.
Lifestyle changes
Take care to avoid UV rays in any way possible (see box above). Two other smart moves you can make are to check your own skin frequently for suspicious changes and to schedule regular skin checks with a dermatologist or a skin clinic.
The bottom line: the earlier you catch a skin cancer, the greater your chances of eliminating it with minimal scarring and, in the case of malignant melanoma, of staying alive.
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