Learn more about it on the
UMSkinCheck: Skin Cancer Self Exam webpage; or
go to UMSkinCheck on iTunes and download the app.Early Detection Increases Survival
May is National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. This month is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the importance of prevention, early detection and treatment of skin cancer, including basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. More than 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed annually in more than 2 million people.Skin Cancer Facts
- In 2012, about 76,250 new melanomas will be diagnosed (about 44,250 in men and 32,000 in women). Incidence rates for melanoma have been
rising for at least 30 years.
- Unlike many other common cancers, melanoma has a wide age distribution. It occurs in younger as well as older people. Rates continue to
increase with age and are highest among those in their 80s, but melanoma is not uncommon even among those younger than 30. In fact, it is one
of the more common cancers in young adults. Early diagnosis is the key to curing this potentially deadly disease, and diagnostic tools are
playing a crucial role in aiding dermatologists to spot melanomas at earlier - and more curable - stages.
- Melanoma is more than 10 times more common in whites than in African Americans.
- Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million are diagnosed annually in the United States. BCCs
are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring if allowed to grow.
- Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer. An estimated 700,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States,
resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths.
- Actinic keratosis is the most common precancer; it affects more than 58 million Americans.
- Between 40% and 50% of Americans who live to age 65 will have either skin cancer at least once.
- Who survives skin cancer? The survival rate for patients, whose melanoma is detected early, before the tumor has penetrated the skin, is about 97%. The survival rate falls to 15% for those with advanced disease.
Source: American Cancer Society's What are the key statistics about melanoma? webpage
and Skin Cancer Foundation's Skin Cancer Facts webpage.
News
University of Michigan Skin Cancer News
- Patients' underlying health linked to worse outcomes for melanoma, U-M study finds
- Sentinel node biopsy safe, effective in head and neck melanomas, U-M study finds
- More evidence that melanoma does not conform to the cancer stem cell model
- The Wages of Sun (and Genes), Medicine at Michigan
- Researchers discover melanoma drug target that occurs in prostate cancer
- Rare skin tumor behaves differently than melanoma
- U-M scientists probe limits of 'cancer stem-cell model'; Melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, does not fit the model
Skin Cancer Foundation
- Winter Indoor Tanners Beware
- Is Your Medicine Harming Your Skin?
- Skin Cancer Awareness Month Reminder
- Melanoma Affects Women More Strongly than Men
American Cancer Society
Risk Factors
Your skin type is one of the main factors in your risk for skin cancer. There are six skin phototypes, going from light
to dark. Individuals with skin types I and II face the highest risk of developing skin cancer, while types V and VI are at
the lowest risk. That is because those with more pigmentation have more natural protection from the sun. However, people
with darker skin can nonetheless get skin cancer. Like light-skinned people, they should be cautious of the sun and have
regular examinations by a doctor. Visit the Skin Cancer Foundation's
Skin Types and At Risk Groups Guidelines page for more information.
What are the risk factors for skin cancer?
A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, unprotected exposure to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer, and smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, kidneys, bladder, and several other organs.
But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several risk factors, does not mean that you will get the disease. And many people who get the disease may not have had any known risk factors. Even if a person with basal or squamous cell skin cancer has a risk factor, it is often very hard to know how much that risk factor may have contributed to the cancer.
What Are The Risk Factors for Non-Melanoma and Melanoma Skin Cancer?
Risk factors for all types of skin cancers are:- unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation
- fair complexion
- occupational exposures to industrial tar, coal, paraffin, arsenic, and certain types of oil
- family history
- multiple or atypical moles
- dysplastic nevi
- severe sunburns as a child
- personal history of melanoma
- immunosuppression
- radiation exposure
Source: The American Cancer Society, Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention Topics web page.
Learn more about the risk factors and how to protect yourself from non-melanoma skin cancer on the American Cancer Society's
What are the risk factors for basal and squamous cell skin cancers?
web page.
Learn more about the risk factors and how to protect yourself from melanoma skin cancer on the American Cancer Society's
Can melanoma be prevented? web page.
Symptoms
What are the signs and symptoms of skin cancer? Skin cancer can be found early, and both doctors and patients play important roles in finding skin cancer. If you have any of the following symptoms, tell your doctor.
- any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth
- scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule
- the spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark
- a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain
Source: The American Cancer Society -
Skin Cancer Facts.
Please see also the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center's Skin Cancer Screening Card: Be Smart About Your Skin, Know your ABCD's.
Prevention
Guidelines
Most skin cancers are preventable. Organizations including theThe Skin Cancer Foundation
recommend using a sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher as one important part of a complete sun protection regimen. Sunscreen alone is not enough,
however. To protect yourself, follow these skin cancer prevention tips:- Seek the shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Do not burn.
- Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.
- Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours.
- Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
- Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
- Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
- See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.
Source: Skin Cancer Foundation, Prevention Guidelines webpage.
Skin Cancer Prevention Resources
U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center:Melanoma Screening and Prevention web page
American Cancer Society:
Be Safe in the Sun
American Academy of Dermatology:
Take action
U-M Resources
Talk to a nurse
Cancer AnswerLine™ 800-865-1125
Clinical Trials at University of Michigan
U-MCC 2005.130 Research Study of Sentinel Lymphadenectomy and Complete Lymph Node Dissection versus Sentinel Lymphadenectomy Alone in Cutaneous Melanoma
Primary Investigator: Michael Sabel, M.D.
U-M Skin Cancer Clinical Trials Listing
National Clinical Trials
Resources
University of Michigan Resources
Multidisciplinary Melanoma Clinic
U-M Cutaneous Oncology Clinic (MOH's Clinic) - Basal and Squamous Cell
National Resources
NCCN-National Comprehensive Cancer Network
National Cancer Institute
American Cancer Society Resources
American Academy of Dermatology
Toll free number: 1-888-462-3376 (888-462-DERM)
SkinCancerNet
Phone: 847-330-0230
Melanoma International Foundation
Phone: 866-463-6663
Skin Cancer Foundation
Toll free number: 800-754-6490 (1-800-SKIN-490)
CDC-Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Phone: 800-232-4636
American College of MOH's Surgery
Phone: 414-347-1103 or 800-500-7224
