Skin Cancer Diagnosis May Be Just A Sniff Away

An early diagnosis for skin cancer may be just a sniff away, according to a report presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. According to the report, odors from the skin can be used to identify basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. Like all other cancers, the best hope for successful treatment of skin cancer lies in early detection. This breakthrough could allow doctors to screen for and diagnose skin cancer in its very early stages. Read more

Of Mice, Moisturizers, Skin Cancer: Controversy Afoot

Albino mice in a Rutgers University laboratory that were pre-treated with ultraviolet (UV) light to simulate the lifelong effect of a human’s sun exposure developed skin cancer when a number of common moisturizing creams were applied to their skins.  The creams were meant to be the vehicle by which caffeine would be administered to the mice in an effort to prove the theory that caffeine might prevent skin cancer.  The finding that the creams themselves caused cancer was a surprise to the research team. Read more

Could New Acne Treatment Cause Cancer?

My mother always says “look beneath the skin.” Great advice from a child psychologist turned stay-at-home mom for evaluating relationships, but keen advice for evaluating well-respected journalism as well. Read more

May Is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month - Tips To Avoid It!

According to the National Cancer Institute, there will be over a million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed in 2008. Thankfully despite this high number less than 1000 deaths are expected, but treatment and worry are considerable nonetheless. Melanoma, responsible for roughly 75% of skin cancer deaths has been steadily increasing from an incidence of 1 in 1500 in 1935, up to 1 in 84 Americans now.Given these numbers despite the widespread use of sunscreen, what can we do to lower our risk? Read more