Skin Cancer

Skin cancers are the most common of all cancers. The skin cancer basal cell carcinoma is more common among men and people with lightly pigmented skin. It also occurs most often in people older than 40. According to Ann Roney, program manager of the Wound Healing Center at Washington County Hospital, individuals with darker pigmentation are at low risk of developing these skin cancers. Basal cell carcinoma often appears as a single, small, firm, oval, flesh-colored bump with raised edges and white borders.

Skin cancer is a major health concern because it affects so many people. The risk of skin cancer increases with age and is more common in men than in women. Although all forms of skin cancer are seen in younger people, most are diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60. Heredity is a factor in whether you are likely to acquire the disease. Almost always detectable in its early curable stages, skin cancer becomes visible on the skin's surface. Routine evaluation of the skin is the key to prompt detection, and medical management of detected skin cancers helps improve cure rates.

Skin cancer is by far the most common cancer. More than 600,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Skin cancers involve abnormal cell changes in the epidermis or outermost layer of the skin. Most of these cancers involve the highly curable basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, which are nonmelanoma cancers. Malignant melanoma, the most serious skin cancer, is diagnosed in about 32,000 people annually, and its incidence is increasing by 4 percent per year. The increasing incidence of all types of skin cancer is believed to arise from a widespread change in lifestyle with greater exposure of successive generations to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet radiation.

With more than 600,000 cases discovered each year, skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Squamous cell cancer is more common in men than women, and the average age of onset is 60. Excessive exposure to the sun and occupational exposure to coal, tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds and radium increase the odds of developing cancer. According to Ann Roney, program manager of the Wound Healing Center at Washington County Hospital, prevention and detection depend on decreasing exposure to the sun and finding the cancer early through skin self-examination.

julieg@herald-mail.com As a carpenter, Joseph Hart often worked in short sleeves or without a shirt and sunscreen. That's probably what led to the melanoma he discovered about four years ago on his right arm, the Huyetts Crossroads area resident said. Now a cancer survivor, Hart, 84, said he covers up with long sleeves, long pants and a straw hat when he ventures out in the sun. To raise awareness about skin cancer, Washington County Hospital is setting up a machine this week that shows people the sun damage to their facial skin, said Cheryl Stouffer, oncology care specialist.

Teenagers don't get skin cancer. At least, that's what Katie Carmichael believed. But an indentation on her leg tells a different story - a scar that remains five years after a specialist removed an inch of flesh, half a centimeter deep, where a mole had been. She was 19 years old when she received a diagnosis of malignant melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer. Blonde, blue-eyed with a fair complexion, she knew she was susceptible to sunburns, but endured them, nonetheless, in an effort to fit in with her friends who all had tans.

Menno Haven to host educational progam about skin cancer CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Menno Haven will host an educational program on early detection of skin cancer on Tuesday, July 28, and Thursday, July 30. The program will be presented on four times over two days by registered nurse Joyce Levin from the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. On July 28, she will speak at 1 and 2 p.m. at Penn Hall Chapel, 1425 Philadelphia Ave. On July 30, she will speak at 1 and 2 p.m. at Menno Village Chapel, 2075 Scotland Ave. The presentation is offered free to the public by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as a way to educate the public about all types of skin cancer.

New strategies that fight against skin cancer include sun-protective clothing and laundry rinses, and tougher rules for teenage tan seekers in Maryland. The tactics come at a time when skin cancer rates are going up, though rates of cancer as a whole have been going down, according to the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Trends Progress Report for 2007. National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes for Health, estimates there will be more than a million new cases of skin cancer in the U.S. in 2008.

Cancer survivors were saluted and applauded on Friday as they took a victory lap at Fairgrounds Park in Hagerstown. It's a tradition at the annual Relay for Life, an affirmation that cancer can be beaten. Phyllis and Bernard Keating of Hagerstown got in line for the march and ended up at the front of the pack, holding the event banner, along with Kathy Keeney of Big Pool. Phyllis defeated skin cancer. Her husband has had both skin cancer and prostate cancer. He said he's been cancer-free for 12 years.

Teenagers don't get skin cancer. At least, that's what Katie Carmichael believed. But an indentation on her leg tells a different story - a scar that remains five years after a specialist removed an inch of flesh, half a centimeter deep, where a mole had been. She was 19 years old when she received a diagnosis of malignant melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer. Blonde, blue-eyed with a fair complexion, she knew she was susceptible to sunburns, but endured them, nonetheless, in an effort to fit in with her friends who all had tans.

Douglas Davis said he didn't used to wear suntan lotion or a hat when on the job finding underground utilities for Miss Utility. “I do now,” said the one-year cancer survivor, who had stage-four melanoma, a type of skin cancer. Davis attended Sunday's Celebration of Life picnic, an event for cancer survivors at The Improved Order of Red Men Tribe 84 grounds along Lappans Road. Approximately 1,300 people attended the picnic, which was sponsored by Meritus Health and the John R. Marsh Cancer Center, said Andrea Garnand, event coordinator and a technical supervisor at the cancer center.

Dr. Erik Hurst will offer free skin cancer screenings from 9 to noon Saturday, May 25,in the Dorothy McCormack Center on the City Hospital campus. Registration is required and is limited to 75. To register or for more information, call 304-264-1232.

Cancer survivors were saluted and applauded on Friday as they took a victory lap at Fairgrounds Park in Hagerstown. It's a tradition at the annual Relay for Life, an affirmation that cancer can be beaten. Phyllis and Bernard Keating of Hagerstown got in line for the march and ended up at the front of the pack, holding the event banner, along with Kathy Keeney of Big Pool. Phyllis defeated skin cancer. Her husband has had both skin cancer and prostate cancer. He said he's been cancer-free for 12 years.

But that was before we knew better. Doctors have told us that tanning is actually damaging your skin. And the American Cancer Society reports that skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, accounting for nearly half of all the cancers in the United States. And melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers, will account for more than 75,000 cases of skin cancer in 2012. Oftentimes getting too much sun is associated with spending time beside the water, but the ACS reports that sun exposure adds up day after day. Here are some simple ways the ACS suggests to protect yourself from the sun: Avoid being in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  Seek shade, especially in the middle of the day when the sun is its strongest.

Although we lack the ability to write this in pink type, we join with institutions across the nation that are promoting October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month with pink reminders of how far we have come in the battle against this awful disease and how far we have to go. This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that nearly a quarter of a million women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. It estimates that 40,000 women will die. Breast cancer ranks behind only skin cancer in frequency and lung cancer in mortality.

You don't die from skin cancer. That's what Robert Harsh thought when he was diagnosed with the disease about four years ago. You go to a doctor, have the lesion removed and life goes on. But there was more to the small spot on Harsh's cheek than met the eye. It was melanoma. For several months, Harsh would look in the mirror and see something resembling a pimple. It wasn't dark, it didn't change shapes. But it wouldn't heal. Harsh is a flight paramedic with the Maryland State Police and volunteered for years with the Williamsport Ambulance Co. But even with his medical training, "I didn't have a clue what it was," he said.

Jocelyn Davis certainly had a reason to feel sorry for herself after being diagnosed with skin cancer at age 13 and again at 16. But her parents refused to let the Waynesboro Area Senior High School senior wallow in self-pity. Davis said they reminded her that other teens had it far worse that she did. “I had good insurance that covered my care, so my family didn’t have to worry about taking care of me and paying the bills like other families do,” Davis said. On Saturday, Davis and more than 100 other WASHS students put on their dancing shoes and participated in a seven hour dance-a-thon hoping to raise $5,000 for The Four Diamonds Fund in honor of their classmate Courtney Sprenkle.

With the summer fast approaching, many people are already making plans for fun in the sun. While outings to the beach or the park are certainly enjoyable, it is important that people are aware of the danger the sun can cause to the skin. The ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun can cause a number of serious health problems ranging from mild sunburn to skin cancer. Here are several simple steps you can take to maintain your skin's health this summer. Know your skin. It is important that you are well aware of your own risk factors for skin health.

Sunburn, bee stings, poison ivy -- Oh, my! With summer in full swing, some common and irritating woes can put a damper on good times. Dr. Bhuvasa Raja, director of Urgent Care for Washington County Hospital, offers her advice on how to prevent and treat these summertime blues. Sunburn "Sunburn is the most common condition we see, as far as summer-related cases go," Raja says. "We also see many cases of poison ivy and bug bites, especially in children. " Sunburn makes skin red, dry, itchy and sensitive to sunlight and heat.