Q&A: Sun Safety

Every Sunday, Cancer Services publishes a Cancer Q&A in the Health Section of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

Q:  I love being out in the sun but am afraid of getting skin cancer.  What are some things I can do that will still allow me to enjoy the summer months?

A:  Sun safety is important year around, especially in the southern United States.  To safeguard your skin properly you should take proper precautions daily, regardless of whether or not you plan on being outside.   You are exposed to dangerous UV rays even when you are driving a car.

 According to the National Cancer Institute, non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type of cancer.  Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are two of the many non-melanoma skin cancers.  Regardless of age, skin type, sex, or race, anyone can get skin cancer; however, some people have an increased risk of developing skin cancer.  The American Cancer Society has projected more than one million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer for 2007 in the United States, which is approximately half of all diagnosed cancers combined in the U.S.

The National Cancer Institute suggests the following sun safety tips:

• It is best to avoid the midday sun (from mid-morning to late afternoon) whenever possible. You also should protect yourself from UV radiation reflected by sand, water, snow, and ice. UV radiation can penetrate light clothing, windshields, and windows.
• Wear protective clothing.
• Use sunscreen. Sunscreen may help prevent skin cancer, especially sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.   However, sunscreens cannot provide the same protection as avoiding the sun and wearing clothing to protect the skin.
• Stay away from sunlamps and tanning beds.

There are other ways to protect yourself from acquiring one of the most common cancers.

• Women can wear tinted moisturizers with a minimum SPF of 15.  FDA regulations require SPF measures in moisturizer to be the same as the measures found in sunscreen.
• Do NOT sunbathe or use tanning beds; instead, if you feel it’s absolutely necessary, use a sunless tanning product that has DHA, dihydroxyacetone, or other color additives for the skin that have been tested by the industry and approved by the FDA.  Also make sure to read about these products.  For example, DHA is intended to be used in the self-application of creams and lotions.  It is only approved for the application to external body parts and is not to be used on the eyes, lips, and any body surface covered with a mucus membrane.  Sunless tanning does not necessarily provide SPF protection; if your label does not include SPF then make sure to apply sunscreen or lotion with a minimum of SPF 15 when you are exposed to the sun’s UV rays.
• Make sure your sunglasses block both UVB and UVA rays.
• Use aftershave with a minimum SPF 15.
• Wear a hat with a brim that covers more than your face but neck and ears as well.
• Use lip balm with a minimum SPF 15.
• Have moles checked out by your doctors.

Visit these websites for further information on sun safety tips:

• Skin Cancer Foundation 
• National Cancer Institute
• American Cancer Society
• U.S. Food & Drug Administration

For additional information contact Courtney, the librarian at Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge at (225) 927-2273, cbritton@cancerservices.org , or visit the Resource Center at 550 Lobdell Avenue.

Q&A: Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Q: May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. What should I know about decreasing my risk for skin cancer?

A: Regardless of age, skin type, sex, or race, anyone can get skin cancer; however, some people have an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the following are risk factors for skin cancer:

• exposure to UV radiation (sun, sunlamps, tanning beds, tanning booths)
• skin scars and burns
• certain infections like HPV
• exposure to arsenic
• chronic skin inflammations or skin ulcers
• certain diseases that make the skin sensitive to the sun (i.e. albinism)
• radiation therapy
• a suppressed immune system (caused by medications or medical conditions)
• family history of skin cancer
• actinic keratosis
• Bowen’s disease

Protecting yourself from the sun’s UV rays is important year around, especially in the southern United States. To safeguard your skin, you should take proper precautions daily, regardless of whether or not you plan on being outside. You can be exposed to dangerous UV rays even when doing something as simple as driving a car.

The National Cancer Institute suggests the following sun protection tips:

• It is best to avoid the midday sun (from mid-morning to late afternoon) whenever possible.
• You also should protect yourself from UV radiation reflected by sand, water, snow, and ice.
• UV radiation can penetrate light clothing, windshields, and windows. Wear protective clothing.
• Use sunscreen. Sunscreen may help prevent skin cancer, especially sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. However, sunscreens cannot provide the same protection as avoiding the sun and wearing clothing to protect the skin.
• Stay away from sunlamps and tanning beds.

For more sun safety tips visit the websites below or contact Courtney Britton, librarian at Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge at (225) 927-2273, cbritton@cancerservices.org , or visit the Resource Center at 550 Lobdell Avenue.

CANCER in the News

from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

UCLA Researchers Discover Genes Linked to Lymphoma, Research Opens Way for New Targeted Drugs
"Researchers at The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) have identified genes that when inactivated help cause B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). These genetic defects may also be involved in promoting the formation of other cancers since they can inactivate normal tumor-suppressing gene activities in a range of cell types."


from Onoclogy Podcasting:

New Drugs for Kidney Cancer
Video podcast on new treatments for renal cell cancer.


from the National Cancer Institute:

Cancer Stem Cells Found in Pancreatic Tumors
"Researchers have detected cancer stem cells in tumors from patients with pancreatic cancer. Experiments in mice suggest that these cancer stem cells may help explain the aggressive growth and spread of pancreatic tumors seen in patients, the researchers report in the February 1 Cancer Research.
Cancer stem cells have been identified in blood, brain, and breast cancers, and more recently in ovarian and colon cancers. The new findings provide further support for the stem cell hypothesis, the theory that some tumors contain small populations of self-renewing cells that give rise to all of the cells in the tumor."


Mammography Rates Decline in Women 40 and Older
"Mammography rates in women aged 40 and over have declined from 76.4 percent in 2000 to 74.6 percent in 2005, a statistically significant decrease."


from the American Cancer Society:

Cancer Still a Heavy Burden for African Americans
"The United States has made strides recently in improving the outlook for people with cancer. Deaths from the disease have dropped for two years in a row. But a new American Cancer Society report shows that progress has been slower among African Americans than people of other races in this country.
Death rates from cancer have been declining among both African American men and women, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2007-2008. "

Dr. Len's Cancer Blog:
DCA: Cancer Breakthrough Or Urban Legend?

"... an article appeared in the January 2007 issue of Cancer Cell, written by a researcher at the University of Alberta in Canada.

I do not know the researcher, but the institution is one that is a recognized, established University.

The basic gist of the research report is that cancer cells rely on certain energy pathways that are different from normal cells, similar to the situation that occurs in what we medically call lactic acidosis...

So before you start going out and adding DCA to your drinking water to prevent cancer, a degree of caution would be very prudent at this point...

I am acutely aware that there are cancer patients out there who are fighting every day for their survival, and are hoping that there is one last chance to get a treatment that may prolong or save their lives...

For some of you out there to inappropriately make them feel that DCA is the answer to their prayers based on this single early stage report in a medical research journal is, in my opinion, not acceptable at best and despicable at worst."


from the American Institute of Cancer Research:

Don’t Just Sit There: The Desk Decathlon
"Follow the instructions as you read along, and by the time you get to the end of this article, you’ll have completed a head-to-toe workout without leaving your desk.
These exercises emphasize flexibility and muscle tone. It may not be the kind of heart-pumping activity shown to improve cardiovascular health, burn calories and reduce cancer risk, but it’s a great way to take a mid-day break and keep up your energy. "


from CURE Magazine:

2007 Cancer Resource Guide
"CURE, in association with the American Cancer Society, brings you the 2007 Cancer Resource Guide—the most crucial cancer information that will guide you through each step of the journey."