New Creams for Skin Cancer

More about skin cancer – one of the most treatable types of cancer

Skin cancer is a disease that affects many but is understood by few. The more you know about this often deadly disease, the better chance that you have of protecting yourself against it. As a matter of fact, a full fifty percent of all skin cancer cases are found by a self examination. In this article, we’ll go over some basic skin cancer facts and give you some guidelines to help you determine whether or not you should visit a doctor regarding a possible case of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer, occurring in an estimated 1 in 5 Americans throughout their lifetime. There are actually three different forms of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. The two carcinoma forms of skin cancer are rarely deadly, and account for approximately 15% of all deaths from skin cancer. They do not spread to different parts of the body, so they are relatively easy to treat via a biopsy. Malignant melanoma represents a very significant risk to ones health. The disease is the only type of skin cancer that spreads, and therein lies the problem. Melanoma is caused by the pigment-producing cells in our body known as melanocytes. As a matter of fact, moles are benign growths of the melanocytes, and the more moles that a person has, the more significant their risk of contracting malignant melanoma becomes.

The most prominent factor in developing skin cancer is an over-exposure to UV rays. This is most often caused by the rays of the sun or the bulbs in tanning beds. To that end, one can greatly reduce their risk of developing skin cancer by employing simple practices such as wearing sunscreen when they go to the beach. Also, it’s important to avoid any outdoor activity between the periods of 11 AM and 3 PM. The sun’s UV rays hit the hardest during this period of the day, so any outdoor activities should be done before or after this intense period. While using tanning beds to achieve a tan isn’t any safer than being in the sun, using a bed does allow you to limit the amount of exposure to UV rays your body will face. To that end, those wishing to maintain a tan should carefully monitor the amount of UV rays that they subject their body to.

As stated before, most cases of skin cancer are first discovered via a self-examination.

To perform a self-examination, you should check every inch of your body for the following symptoms:

- Moles that are asymmetrical or have irregular borders represent a significant risk of a case of malignant melanoma. Also, moles that change in color or grow significantly in size should be examined by a doctor.
- One of the carcinoma types of skin cancer may be present if you find a lump anywhere on your skin, or a sore that continuously oozes or bleeds.
If a self-examination yields any of the above symptoms, it’s important to settle the issue with your doctor immediately. Early detection is important when it comes to treating skin cancer.

New Creams for Skin Cancer

One of the scariest parts of being diagnosed with skin cancer, or any other cancer, is deciding what the right treatment course is. There are so many new treatments, be careful what you try and why you decide to try it. All new skin cancer treatments are tested for many years before they are made available to the patient. Clinical trials must be conducted first and only if these come back with good to excellent results will the new treatments be used for the average patient. In this way the medical system tries to protect those suffering from diseases that need cures. Some will be worth trying, some not. But the important thing to remember is to only try something new with your health care provider advising you. Don’t take chances.

There are some new treatments that are having some success though they are still in the early stages of use. One such treatment is the use of a chemical called Retinoid. These chemicals have had some serious success for non-melanoma skin cancers. This is used in a cream and is applied generously on the area of the tumor. It works by helping the cancerous cells to change back to being just normal cells. There is another retinoid treatment that is given in pill form. It helps people who have had repeated bouts of skin cancer prevent yet another. Like so many skin cancer treatments there are side effects. The first few days of using the cream the patient may see redness or even some peeling skin. This stops within a few days.

When using the cream the patient is discouraged from going out in the sun and shouldn’t give blood. If pregnant do not use this cream, as there are concerns about possible birth defects. Retinoids are showing some good results but there is still much to learn and doctors are cautious about it as a treatment until more is known.

Another new cream is still in the testing stages but it too has had good results so far. Imiquimod cream is used only for basal cell carcinoma, the most common of the skin cancers. It works by stimulating the body’s immune system to fight the cancerous cells and thus defeat them. This cream is still in the clinical testing stage with good results expected when it is concluded.

There are still more treatment alternatives out there. Some are worth investigating. Most are not. There have been some advances using Thalidomide. This former morning sickness medication that had such disastrous effects on the infants born of women who used it has long been on the researchers table. Recently it has proven to have some good results with melanomas that have spread. Thalidomide in combination with another drug is having some success.

Before running off to try some of these, make sure you discuss this with your health care provider. Also, consider trying to find others who have used alternative methods and see how they tolerated the new treatment therapies.

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