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Man’s Best Cancer Detector

February 21, 2012 at 12:29 pm · Filed under Melanoma Newz, Prevention ·Tagged ABCDE of skin cancer, canine, dogs, Medical Detection Dogs, melanoma, skin cancer, Victoria Tice

I have always found it amazing how a furry four-legged creature could captivate a person’s heart in a way no human could. They are our comfort in troubling times, our playmates, and a warm body to snuggle up to. What if your pet, specifically your dog, was also a cancer detector? A woman, Victoria Tice, says that her poodle detected a melanoma on her face which she had thought was just a mole.

Victoria wasn’t a stranger to abnormal lesions on her skin and had previously had a non-cancerous mole removed. Since then she had always taken the proper precautions to prevent such a thing from happening again. It wasn’t until her 7-year-old poodle, Basil, started acting strangely that she became concerned about the mole on her face. He began to lick and bite the mole repeatedly, often waking her up in the middle of the night.

Her doctor and dermatologist told her it wasn’t melanoma because at first glance it didn’t have any of the ABCDE characteristics of skin cancer. She persisted and they eventually found it be cancerous. Victoria then underwent surgery to have it removed. She has been thankful and in awe of Basil ever since!

Victoria’s experience is so far-fetched. There is research that suggests dogs can identify a unique odor associated with cancer. A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2004 provided the first proof that dogs could smell cancer. Cancer cells release small amounts of volatile substances (odor) that some dogs can be trained to detect. Take into account the value of dogs for physical health in humans and it makes sense that they could “prevent us from becoming ill, facilitate our recovery from ill-health, and even serve as an early warning system for certain types of underlying ailment including cancer, oncoming seizures and hypoglycemia.” There is a non-profit called Medical Detection Dogs based out of the UK that understands the importance of a canine to human relationship when it comes to supporting a person’s health. They recruit dogs to train them to be cancer detecting companions and medical assistance dogs.

This is unrelated to cancer, but my family had a Great Dane (pictured below) that sensed a couple of tremors when we lived in California. He would pace around, become irritable and wouldn’t come out of my daughter’s room until it had come and passed. It is amazing the sixth sense that dogs have. Do you have an experience when your dog knew something before you did? Please share in the comments below!

Source:

WAToday.com

Online library

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‘Protect Your Largest Organ’ with a Marc Jacobs T-Shirt

February 13, 2012 at 7:37 am · Filed under Melanoma Newz, Prevention ·Tagged Marc Jacobs, Marissa Miller, melanoma, Protect Your Largest Organ, skin cancer, skin cancer prevention, t-shirts, uv skinz

Your face, hands, arms, legs, back and feet are all covered with this durable and amazing stuff. Can you guess what it is? It’s your SKIN, your largest organ! Every year Marc Jacobs releases a t-shirt campaign to get the word out about the importance of ’protecting your largest organ.’ Maybe you remember last years Marc Jacobs campaign that featured Victoria Secret model, Marissa Miller. (Click the link if you don’t.)

This year South Park characters featured in their birthday suits are helping to raise awareness about melanoma and skin cancer prevention in a very funny way. The proceeds from the t-shirts benefit The Interdisciplinary Melanoma Cooperative Group at New York University.

Looking for more ways to show your skin some LOVE?! Take advantage of our UVLOVE15 coupon code that is good through February 29th. Browse our online store at www.uvskinz.com

(LIKE us on Facebook and you will be the first to know about our sales and special promotions!)

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AIM Awards $90K Check To Benefit The Fight Against Melanoma

January 26, 2012 at 12:30 pm · Filed under Melanoma Newz ·Tagged AIM at Melanoma, Grants, research, uv skinz

AIM at Melanoma, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research, outreach and prevention of Melanoma, has awarded a $90,000 research grant to MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC).

“West University resident Judy Sager, AIM Houston Chapter President, and Jean Schlipmann, AIM CoFounder, presented Dr. Patrick Hwu and the Melanoma Department at MDACC a check for $90,000 to support melanoma research.”

This is very exciting news for AIM and the MDACC! AIM and the MD Anderson Cancer Center have partnered together during a Houston AIM for the Cure Melanoma Fun Run and Walk in 2011. I am proud to say that UV Skinz is also a sponsor to the AIM for a Cure Walk/Runs as well as a close ally in the fight against Melanoma.

The MDACC will use the the grant “to support the ongoing research goals of MelCore.”

Find out more about MelCore and AIM at Melanoma at www.aimatmelanoma.org

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All Skin is Created Equal

January 20, 2012 at 12:27 am · Filed under Melanoma Newz ·Tagged Bruce Jenner, melanoma, skin cancer

No one is immune to the chance of being diagnosed with skin cancer. It sees no color, race, gender or economic status. It is blind to the fact that you may be a Mother, Father, Sister, Brother or Lover. That is why it is so important that you pay attention to your body–your moles and freckles. Look for the signs of skin cancer before it finds you!

To make it easy just follow the ABCDE’s of skin cancer:

A is for asymmetry. Suspicious moles will not be even if you were to draw an invisible line down the middle of it.
B is for border. A mole with blurry or spotty edges is cause for concern.
C is for color. Moles should be all the same color and never change. If yours does then have it evaluated by a doctor.
D is for diameter. If it is larger than a pencil eraser it needs to be examined. Even if it normal in asymmetry, border and color.
E is for elevation which means the mole is raised above the surface or has an uneven surface.

Early detection is key!

We all have that attitude of invincibility. At times we put that same invincible status on celebrities and athletes. Lots of celebrities have been diagnosed with skin cancer and some have succumb to it like Bob Marley. Recently, Bruce Jenner had surgery to remove a red mark that was identified as early stage skin cancer. Lucky for him it only left a small scar of the right side of his face. Reports say that doctors gave Bruce the advice of wearing a hat while he golfed. Hope he listens!

No matter what we think or how untouchable we feel it is up to everyone to spread awareness about skin cancer and look out for each other. Education is such an important factor. What we don’t know may and will kill us. Scary thought right? Well, a new study published in the Archives of Dermatology this month states that socio-economic status has a lot to do with Melanoma survival rates. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. If not caught early it has a seven to ten percent five-year survival rate. It was found that people of a higher socio-economic status were more likely to survive Melanoma. This could be due to the fact that those with a lower socio-economic status usually have inadequate health insurance, less knowledge of skin cancer, lower rates of self skin examinations and physician screenings. It makes sense, but does it have to be that way?

Share your thoughts…

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Anti-estrogen Therapies Have Been Found to Reduce Melanoma Risk

January 11, 2012 at 12:24 am · Filed under Melanoma Newz ·Tagged Anti-estrogen therapy, breast cancer, cancer, Geneva University, melanoma, side-effects, skin cancer

Early this past week researchers from Switzerland and France at the University of Geneva released results from a study that showed women with breast cancer undergoing anti-estrogen therapy may have a lower risk for melanoma. Christine Bouchardy, M.D., Ph.D., professor at the University of Geneva and the head of the Geneva Cancer Registry, and colleagues gathered information on 7,360 women diagnosed with breast cancer from 1980-2005. During the study 54 percent of the patients received anti-estrogen therapy. During the follow-up in 2008 there was a recorded 34 melanoma cases. The results, published in Cancer Prevention Research, found that “the risk for melanoma was 60 percent higher among patients who did not receive anit-estrogen therapy”, compared with those that did.

What did Christine Bouchardy have to say about the results?:

“This study suggests that anti-estrogen therapy modifies the risk of melanoma after breast cancer.”
“Although our results are in agreement with the hypothesis that estrogens could play a role in melanoma occurrence, these results need to be replicated in other studies, particularly given the numerous side effects linked to this kind of drug.”

Cancer researchers are aware of the important role that estrogen plays when it comes to breast cancer, but there is still more to learn about the effects of estrogen on other cancers. The researchers believe that the research backs up their hypothesis, but warn the public against the wide-spread use of anti-estrogen treatments to treat melanoma. The side effects haven’t outweighed the benefit even though those treatments are commonly used to treat breast cancer.

What are the anti-estrogen therapy side-effects?

Joint pain and increased symptoms of rheumatic disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Pain in general can be experienced since normal estrogen levels help women regulate pain.
Hot flashes can occur because the lack of estrogen modifies the functioning of the hypothalamus which is like the control center for the body; regulating body temperature, appetite and sleeping patterns.
Mental impairments such as verbal memory and planning skills were found to be affected with the treatment of an estrogen blocker called tamoxifen.
Depression could occur (particularly with the use of tamoxifen) and it has been found that the drug interaction between the estrogen blocker and anti-depression medication is not safe.
Osteoporosis can occur in long-term use of anti-estrogen treatments because “normally, estrogen in the body prevents calcium from leaking out of bone tissue, and therefore helps keep the bone strong.”