Cancer Prevention: Know Your Moles

Has a mole that you’ve had since you were a child gone through some changes? Maybe it's a different shape or color, or it's just getting thicker and a little itchy? Have you recently found a new mole that doesn't look like the rest? If you can answer yes to at least one of these questions, then want to consider getting screened by a dermatologist for skin cancer. 

The internet is an abundant source of information about cancer types, prevention, and treatments, but all that information can be overwhelming and confusing. In keeping with our cancer prevention theme through the month of February, we have gathered some great information from our Certified Health Education Specialist, Casey Shelor. We hope this post will help eliminate some confusion with respect to the prevention of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The two most common types of skin cancer—basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas—are highly curable. However, melanoma, the third most common skin cancer, is more dangerous. 

Here are some tips on reducing the chance of being diagnosed with any type of skin cancer, from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation is important all year round, not just during the summer or at the beach. UV rays from the sun can reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. UV rays also reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. Indoor tanning (using a tanning bed, booth, or sunlamp to get tan) exposes users to UV radiation.

The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daylight savings time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time) are the most hazardous for UV exposure outdoors in the continental United States. UV rays from sunlight are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America. The CDC recommends several easy options for protection from UV radiation:

• Seek shade, especially during midday hours. You can reduce your risk of skin damage and skin cancer by seeking shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter before you physically feel a need for relief from the sun. Your best bet to protect your skin is to use sunscreen or wear protective clothing when you're outside—even when you're in the shade.

• Wear clothing to protect exposed skin. Loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection from the sun's UV rays. Keep in mind that a typical T-shirt has an SPF rating lower than 15, so use other types of protection as well. Also, a wet T-shirt offers much less UV protection than a dry one. Darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors. If wearing this type of clothing isn't practical, at least try to wear a T-shirt or a beach cover-up.

• Wear a hat. For the best protection, wear a hat with a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. Avoid straw hats with holes that let sunlight through. A darker-colored hat may offer more UV protection. If you are wearing a ball cap, don't forget to protect the back of your neck and tops of your ears with clothing and/or sunscreen.

• Wear sunglasses. They protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts while also protecting the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure. Wrap-around sunglasses work best because they block UV rays from sneaking in from the side, and sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays offer the best protection. Most sunglasses sold in the United States, regardless of cost, meet this standard, but check the labels.

• Use sunscreen. Choose sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection. The sun's UV rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. Put on sunscreen before you go outside, even on slightly cloudy or cool days. Apply a thick layer (rub it in until it's gone) on all parts of exposed skin and get help for hard-to-reach places like your back. Sunscreen does wear off, so all sunscreens (even the "waterproof" ones) need to be reapplied after swimming, sweating or being outside for more than two hours. Check the sunscreen's expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than three years, but its shelf life is shorter if it has been exposed to high temperatures.

• Avoid indoor tanning. Using a tanning bed, booth, or sunlamp to get tan has been linked to an increased risk of skin cancers - including melanoma - and cancers of the eye. A recent study found that using a tanning bed - any type and for any length of time - increases a person's risk of melanoma by 74%. Some are likening the use of tanning beds by teens to the use of cigarettes, saying that it is a carcinogen and should be regulated in people under the age of 18. You have to ask yourself: Is a golden tan really worth dying for?

As always - know the facts, and do your part to protect yourself and your loved-ones from the potentially deadly effects of cancer. Skin cancer is preventable, and making the right choices can save your life.

Cancer Survivorship

As we keep an eye on the information being disseminated on the web and in the news about cancer and its associated topics, a thread we see often implies that not enough money is being spent to "cure cancer". There are so many fundraising runs, bike rides, walks, vigils, restaurant promotions, etc... but people are still dying. When you are watching your loved ones battle cancer, it's hard to understand the progress that has been made. But there has been progress.

According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the number of cancer survivors in the United States increased to 11.7 million in 2007. To put that in perspective - consider the fact that there were 3 million cancer survivors in 1971 and 9.8 million in 2001. Great news! Regardless of whether or not a cure has been found, the numbers tell us that the treatments that are being tested in clinical trials around the world are finding drugs and therapies that are saving lives.

More good news that accompanies those numbers... Study findings indicate:

• Breast cancer survivors are the largest group of cancer survivors (22 percent), followed by prostate cancer survivors (19 percent) and colorectal cancer survivors (10 percent).
• Among all survivors, 4.7 million received their diagnosis 10 or more years earlier.

What this information tells us is that those screenings we keep encouraging you to have are working. And not only are people surviving - they're surviving longer. We've said it all along - but that's the proof in black and white. Screenings save lives.

Of course, more survivors mean an increasing need for support for after the battle. Survivors often deal with long-lasting effects of their treatments that can be uncomfortable, annoying, or down-right debilitating. When a patient and their family is in the middle of their treatment, it's hard to think past what they are doing right then, so the work that comes after - staying healthy, recovering and maintaining pre-cancer activity levels, and learning to accept the limitations that they may have to live with - is often nothing they want to discuss or even consider.

Support groups and information focused on survivorship are in demand more and more by patients and their families. We work to meet that demand in the support groups we facilitate and also with our licensed Social Workers on staff. They work with individuals to determine specific emotional needs, and find sources of information and support to make sure that transitioning into the new life post-cancer treatment is as smooth as possible. If you or someone you know needs some assistance and information about being a cancer survivor please contact us at 479-361-5847.

More information about cancer survivorship can be found on these websites:
Support groups in Northwest Arkansas can be found on our website here.
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information, podcasts, and even the ability to send an e-card here.
The National Cancer Institute lots of information grouped by survivorship topic here and a long list of publications and resources here.

Some of the information in this posting was found in this press release on the National Cancer Institute website.

Prevention and Early Detection Save Lives!!

We've been talking a lot lately about prevention and early detection being important keys to reducing your risk for cancers of any type, but this month we're backing up that talk with action! We are providing free colon cancer screening kits to anyone in Northwest Arkansas who asks for one, so come by to pick one up! In fact, be a true friend and get one for everyone you know. Sure, that sounds a little weird, if not downright awkward... handing out colon screening kits isn't something you usually do after a great session of Zumba with the girls or a couple of rounds of golf with the guys. But we're talking about a cancer that kills approximately 50,000 Americans each year. 

Here are a few myths from the American Cancer Society about colorectal cancer that might make it easier to consider a screening:

Myth: Colorectal cancer is a man's disease. 

Truth: Colorectal cancer is just as common among women as men. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, it is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the U.S. - number 3 on the lists for both men and women.

Myth: Colorectal cancer cannot be prevented.

Truth: In many cases colorectal cancer can be prevented. Colorectal cancer almost always starts with a small growth called a polyp. If the polyp is found early, doctors can remove it and stop colorectal cancer before it starts. These tests find polyps: double contrast barium enema, flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy).

To help lower your chances of getting colorectal cancer:

• Get to and stay at a healthy weight.
• Be physically active.
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
• Eat a diet with a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and less red or processed meat.

Myth: African Americans are not at risk for colorectal cancer.

Truth: African-American men and women are diagnosed with and die from colorectal cancer at higher rates than men and women of any other U.S. racial or ethnic group. The reason for this is not yet understood.

Myth: It's better not to get tested for colorectal cancer because it's deadly anyway.

Truth: Colorectal cancer is often highly treatable. If it is found and treated early (while it is small and before it has spread), the 5-year survival rate is about 90%. But because many people are not getting tested, only about 4 out of 10 are diagnosed at this early stage when treatment is most likely to be successful.

The screening kits we have available are easy to use, and did we mention they're FREE??

And just as a reminder, here's where we talk about signs and symptoms of colon cancer. No matter your age, if you are experiencing any of these please talk to your doctor and get screened. Younger people are often diagnosed in later stages of the disease just because their symptoms were mis-diagnosed. You owe it to yourself and the people who love you to do what you can to prevent cancer.