Skin Cancer: Researching How It Spreads so It Can Be Stopped

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. It forms in the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin, which is comprised of three types of cells. Squamous cells are oval to flat cells that make up the top layers; basal cells are round cells beneath the squamous cells; and melanocytes, residing alongside basal cells, produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin color. Squamous and basal cell cancers are common and, unlike melanoma, usually do not spread, which generally makes them easier to treat.

HOW CANCER SPREADS

Cancer spreads when cells break away from the original tumor and travel to nearby tissues or distant organs. Melanoma develops the ability to spread once it reaches the inner layer of the skin, the dermis, where it can gain access to lymph or blood vessels that allow tumor cells to travel. Once melanoma spreads, it becomes difficult to treat.

Melanoma can metastasize (spread) to any organ in the body, although it generally follows a predictable path. It is most likely to first spread to the lungs and the area between the lungs; 70 to 87 percent of metastasized melanoma spreads to this area. After the lungs, melanoma is most likely to spread to other areas of the skin and to the liver.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, oncologists recognize the spreading pattern of melanoma, but they're not sure why it's so predictable. They have three theories:

1. Melanoma cells travel to body tissues indiscriminately, but multiply only in areas that have appropriate cellular growth factors.
2. Cancer cells become "glued" to specific sites.
3. Cancer cells are selectively attracted to specific sites by organ-specific molecules (chemokines), a process called chemoattraction. Scientists do know melanoma cells have many more chemokine receptors than cells not affected by cancer.

NEW HOPE FOR SKIN CANCER TREATMENT

Recently, researchers discovered a gene called mda-9/syntenin, which is elevated in major cancers. It helps melanoma spread by regulating proteins that promote angiogenesis, or the development of new blood vessels. These blood vessels bring critical nutrients to cancer cells and help them grow. Drugs that target this gene could potentially stop the spread of melanoma by removing the metastasis-promoting proteins.

The best way to prevent the spread of melanoma, however, is to be aware of the signs and detect it early—before it penetrates deeply into the dermis with its blood and lymph pathways. If you notice a change in shape, color, size, or feel of an existing mole, or the development of a new mole, seek prompt medical attention.

Craig Kraffert, MD, reviewed this article.

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Sources:

ScienceDaily.com. "How Deadly Skin Cancer Spreads Into Other Parts of the Body." Web. 3 January 2013. 
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130103131200.htm

National Cancer Institute. "What You Need to Know About Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers." Web. 11 January 2011.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin/page9

Mayo Clinic. "How cancer spreads." Web. 3 August 2012.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/MM00638

The University of Chicago Medicine. "Skin Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)." Web.http://www.uchospitals.edu/online-library/content=CDR258035

American Academy of Dermatology. "Melanoma: How It Returns, Where It Spreads." Web. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/melanoma_returns.htm

How to Keep Your Senses Sharp as You Age

Your perception of the world around you would be quite different if not for your five senses.

Your eyes, nose, tongue, ears, and skin work together so that you can recognize the many different sensations that guide your choices and behavior throughout each day. Unfortunately, many natural and unnatural forces that occur throughout your lifetime diminish your ability to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel as you get older. Here's what you can do to help protect your senses:

KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS

Get regular physical check-ups that include vision and hearing tests, and see specialists as soon as possible if specific health problems come up. For instance, if you start to see floaters (dust- or thread-like images drifting into your field of vision in one or both eyes), see an opthalmologist as soon as possible. Though most likely harmless, floaters can be a sign of retinal detachment that can lead to permanent loss of vision. When it comes to your sense of touch, pay attention if you notice you are dropping things more often than usual or if you feel no pain in some areas of your body, or too much sensitivity to pain in others. These may be signs of a medical condition that needs attention.

EAT RIGHT

The vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you get from food support the senses, especially vision and hearing. Eat a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and dairy substitutes, olive oil and other healthy fats, and low-fat sources of protein, such as seafood and lean cuts of meat and poultry. Make sure your diet contains plenty of dark, leafy green vegetables such as kale, collard greens, and spinach as well as other deeply-colored vegetables and fruit such as carrots and oranges.

MANAGE MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, infections, allergies, and arthritis can lead to further loss of either eyesight, hearing, smell, and your sense of touch. Poor dental hygiene can affect your ability to taste food. Keep these conditions under control and manage them as well as possible.

Disease management may include lifestyle changes such as modifying your diet, getting certain types of physical exercise, and finding ways to reduce the impact of stress, as well as taking any medications recommended by your healthcare provider in the manner prescribed. At the same time, some medications can cause side effects that impact your senses, though often temporarily. If you experience any side effects from a medication or self-prescribed supplement, be sure to report them to your doctor.

5 MORE WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR SENSES

• Vision changes with age. If you wear corrective lenses, be sure your current prescription isn't outdated. If you don't wear glasses, and you find it more difficult to see than when you were younger, make an appointment with an optometrist to check your vision, and make sure you have strong, non-glaring lighting at home and at work.
• To protect your hearing, avoid constant exposure to loud noise, or wear earplugs if you frequently find yourself in a noisy situation.
• If grip is a problem, pay attention when lifting small objects and use both hands if necessary, to avoid dropping.
• If you find you are not tasting food the way you used to,add herbs and spices to dishes to increase flavor.Serve a variety of foods with different colors and textures on the plate. One example is to simply adding crunchy whole-grain croutons or nuts to soups, salads, and other dishes.
• If you smoke, quitting can help improve your senses of smell and taste. Treating chronic allergies and other nasal diseases can also improve these senses.

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Sources:

The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary: Smell and Taste Disorders. Web.
http://www.nyee.edu/faqlist.html?tablename=faq&key=66

National Institutes of Health Medline Plus: Aging changes in the Senses
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/004013.htm

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service: Understanding the Effects of Aging on the Sensory System. Web.
http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2418/T-2140web.pdf

University of Connecticut Health Center: Taste and Smell. Web.
http://uconntasteandsmell.uchc.edu/facts/index.html

Hand Sanitizer: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Staying health may be as simple as keeping your hands clean. In fact, experts say remembering to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly is the single most important way to stay health.Researchers estimate that routine hand washing is so effective it could prevent a million deaths per year since about 80 percent of infections are spread through hand contact.

Harmful germs are ubiquitous and prevalent in kitchens and bathrooms, on floors, faucets (especially school drinking fountains), keyboards, ATM machines, cell phones, and doorknobs.  Antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus (a common cause of skin infections) has been found on yoga mats, wrestling mats, and cardio resistance machines. Cramped and heavily trafficked airplane bathrooms are one of the best places to get contaminated.

The importance of hand washing can't be overstated. To reduce your risk of picking up unwanted micro organisms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hand washing—preferably using soap and water—in the following circumstances:

• Before, during, and after food preparation
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal waste, or handling pet food and treats
• After touching garbage

Soap or Sanitizer?

Soap and clean water is best but if they aren't available (for example, during car travel), an alcohol-based hand sanitizer—containing at least 60 percent alcohol—is an acceptable alternative. Health officials have found that hand sanitizers containing less than 60 percent alcohol is not enough to kill most harmful bacteria and viruses.

However, buyers beware! Don't assume all hand sanitizers are created equal. Read labels and look for products with between 60 and 95 percent alcohol listed as ethyl alcohol, ethanol, or isopropanol.

One of the problems with hand sanitizers is that they don't cut through grime well. The alcohol in the gels kills bacteria and viruses, but health officials say soap—any soap—used properly removes them. High-tech soap (a.k.a hand sanitizers) is not recommended for use on visible dirt and is not an effective agent for bacteria associated blood, feces, bodily fluid, and animal fat (attention food service workers) unless they are wiped off first.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health agencies have also expressed concerns that the overuse of sanitizers may cause germs to develop resistance. In addition, be wary of false and unproven product claims. Hand sanitizer and antiseptics cannot prevent infection from MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)—a deadly strain of bacteria—according to the FDA. Any claims that a product kills MRSA, staph, and strep should be disregarded and the agency strongly urges consumers not to buy over-the-counter hand sanitizers or other products that allegedly prevent infection from MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella, flu, other bacteria, or viruses. On the plus side, hand sanitizers are quick and easy to use and cause less skin irritation than soap and water.

One caveat: the alcohol in hand sanitizers will shorten the life of your manicure. Alcohol dries out nails and cuticles and causes nail polish to chip and peel. Switching from polish to a gel or shellac costs more but will last longer.

Germ Busting Basics

To wash hands properly, the CDC recommends lathering up with soap and washing for at least 20 seconds—the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. In the agency's video, "Put Your Hands Together," CDC epidemiologist Michael Beach, PhD offers the following instructions:

"Focus on washing the front of your hands, the back, in between the fingers, and around the nails and so on. Then rinse everything off," says Beach in the video. "Use something to wipe your hands after that—preferably something disposable, like a paper towel and then use that to turn off the tap as well."

When soap and water are not available, squeeze a dime-size amount of hand sanitizer—containing at least 60 percent alcohol—into your hands and rub until solution is completely absorbed. Safeguard yourself in the gym or at work by wiping workout mats, machines, desktops, and computer keyboards with an antiseptic wipe.

Dr. Rafael Pajaro reviewed this article.

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Sources:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The New York Times

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention