Tag Archives: skin cancer research

08.26.09
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Genes That Cause Melanoma Discovered!

Scientist from the “Queensland Institute of Medical Research have found two new genes that together double a persons risk of melanoma.”

A study team studied the genes of 6,000 people and found that “specific changes in two genes were found to make people more susceptible to developing moles. The researchers went on to show, in another 4,000 people, the same two genes increased the risk of developing melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer.”

It has been known that the more moles a person has increases their chance of melanoma, but now they ” have conclusive genetic evidence that having a large number of moles increases an individual’s risk of developing melanoma.”

One of the reasons Rhonda, Founder of UV Skinz, created this company with the mission to “get kids covered” was because her husband passed away at a young age from Melanoma. She has the constant thought that her sons are more at risk of developing the disease. It is important to know your family history and if you have cases of skin cancer in your family then take extra precautions to protect against Melanoma.

Here is some good advice!: Moles are normal but people should seek advice from their doctor if they observe any changes in size, colour or shape. People with lots of moles are at a higher risk of developing melanoma and should therefore take extra care to avoid overexposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Did you know?: Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world with more than 10,000 new cases and 1000 people dying from the disease every year. Queensland has the highest incidence of any state with seven Queenslanders diagnosed with melanoma every day. More than one in 20 Queenslanders is expected to develop melanoma during their lifetime.

Sourcehttp://www.discoveryon.info/2009/07/genes-that-cause-melanoma-discovered.html

03.08.09
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Vegetable-based Drug Could Inhibit Melanoma

There is amazing news in cancer research that has made me have a new found appreciation for the vegetables that I detested as a child. Broccoli and cabbage. This information could actually be used as a bribe to even get kids to eat their veggies!

Compounds extracted from broccoli and cabbage could be a potent and non-toxic drug against melanoma.

An associate professor at the Penn State School of Medicine, Gavin Robertson, Ph.D., and his colleagues have been testing the vegetable compounds combined with selenium which can “inhibit the growth of tumors in mice by 50 to 60 percent with a very low dose.”

Robertson says that “selenium-deficiency is common in cancer patients, including those diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.” By adding selenium to the vegetable compounds it inhibits the cancer by reducing the production of Akt3 protein and shutting down its signaling network.

This is great news for the future of cancer treatment. The new drug would be called…isoselenocyanate…”the Penn State researcher envisions a drug that could be delivered either intravenously to treat melanoma, or added to sunscreen lotion to prevent the disease.”

Well, I don’t see any better reason to eat your broccoli and cabbage than this one! If you would like to read the full article here is the link; Penn State Live.