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.

from St. Jude:

Study of leukemia survivors gives hints for better care
"The longest follow-up study ever conducted with survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) shows the importance of monitoring former patients through the years. This process will help clinicians identify complications that might develop and modify current treatments to reduce those risks, according to St. Jude investigators."


from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology:

IMRT Allows Higher Radiation Therapy Dose for Breast Cancer
"Women with breast cancer who receive higher doses of radiation with IMRT each day can reduce their treatment time by two weeks without increasing side effects, according to a study released today in the June 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology."


from M.D. Anderson

Sunscreen and Summer Sun Safety
"As part of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month this May, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is encouraging everyone to learn more about the proper application of sunscreen to lower their lifetime risk of developing skin cancer."


from the American Institute for Cancer Research:

Soda: The Newest Health Food?
"One thing’s for certain, America has a soft drink habit...This spring, Coke is launching a “nutrient-enhanced” version of Diet Coke, which, according to the nutrition label, includes 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of several B vitamins, as well as 15 percent of the RDA for magnesium and zinc.
Pepsi is also rolling out new “healthy” drinks they call “sparkling beverages” (“soda” is so 20th century), including the vitamin-fortified Tava and Diet Pepsi Max, an energy drink with increased caffeine and ginseng. Soda executives call diet and light sodas their “health and wellness brands..."

from the FDA:

FDA Approves Tykerb for Advanced Breast Cancer Patients
"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Tykerb (lapatinib), a new targeted anti-cancer treatment, to be used in combination with capectabine (Xeloda), another cancer drug, for patients with advanced, metastatic breast cancer that is HER2 positive (tumors that exhibit HER2 protein)."

from the International Agency on Research for Cancer:

Sunbed use in youth unequivocally associated with skin cancer
"Melanoma is on the increase everywhere in the world and the number of cases doubles every 12-15 years in the most affected areas...
The data showed a prominent and consistent increase in risk for melanoma in people who first used sunbeds in their twenties or teen years: a 75% increase in risk of melanoma was calculated for such users of artificial tanning appliances, while this increase in the general population, although not statistically significant, is still not negligible."

from the BBC News:

Cancer threat for young tanners
"More young people are being diagnosed with skin cancer, a consultant dermatologist has claimed."


from Michigan State University:

MSU research strengthens link between smoking, pancreatic cancer
"Researchers at Michigan State University have added yet another piece to the puzzle that links cigarette smoking with cancer of the pancreas, one of the deadliest forms of cancer."


from the American Cancer Society:

Federal Panel: Don't Use Pain Relievers to Guard Against Colon Cancer
"Not enough scientific evidence exists to support using aspirin and other pain relievers to prevent colorectal cancer, according to a federal task force. Taking such medications in high doses (300 milligrams and higher) on a regular basis would do more harm than good, they found, by increasing a person's risk for stroke, internal bleeding, and kidney failure."

Study: CT Scans Still Not Advised for Lung Cancer Screening
"The use of computed tomography (CT) scans to screen current or former smokers for lung cancer is still too experimental to recommend for widespread medical use, according to results from a new study. "


from the National Cancer Institute:

Researchers Discover New Biomarkers for Liver Cancer
"Researchers have found that a unique pattern of activity in cells surrounding a liver tumor can accurately predict whether the cancer will spread to other parts of the liver or to other parts of the body."