Sun safety is important year-round due to inevitable exposure to radiation from the sun regardless of what season we’re in. Even in the winter, sunlight reflects off the white snow onto our skin. This is why taking measures to protect our skin from this radiation damage as a preventive step to combat skin cancer is important.
“Our body is constantly facing some amount of sun exposure on a daily basis. Skin cancers happen because of a lifetime cumulative exposure to radiation,” says Medical Oncologist and Hematologist Dr. Seeta Trivedi. “The important thing is that prevention is always better than cure. This is the advice I give to my patients on a day-to-day basis.”
Dr. Trivedi stresses the importance of protecting your skin from the sun when exposed to or spending an extended period of time outdoors. Some ways to protect your skin include wearing sunscreen with a minimum SPF 50, wearing a wide-brimmed hat to cover your head and neck, wearing sunglasses that block UV rays, and choosing long-sleeved shirts and pants when possible. Tanning bed use, a family history of skin cancers, and fair/freckled skin or red-haired individuals may also be at higher risk.
“Skin cancer is a cancer that you can see. If you see something that looks unusual, say something and talk to your doctor about it,” Dr. Trivedi says. “If there is something that hasn’t healed or resolved in two to four weeks, certainly have a dermatologist check it out.”
According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S. Although melanoma accounts for only 1% of skin cancers, it is by far the most aggressive form of skin cancer.
Astera offers melanoma and other advanced skin cancer treatments in all its offices. For metastatic melanomas, dual immunotherapy treatment is generally employed as the first line of therapy. Metastatic melanoma is an advanced form of melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body. Dual Immunotherapy with drugs such as Ipilimumab, Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab are used to treat metastatic melanoma and can be used to treat metastatic or stage 4 cancer and can reduce the risk of recurrence for locally advanced melanomas following surgical resection.
Astera Cancer Care also offers genetic mutational testing on cancer cells to determine options for targeted therapies, using tools such as Foundation One testing and Gurardant 360 testing. These tests are used to find additional targeted mutations that could be used to treat metastatic melanoma, such as mutations in the BRAF or MEK genes, which, if found, can be targeted via oral agents.
“Cancer care requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists to achieve an optimal outcome. For patients who come to Astera Cancer Care, we work alongside their dermatologist, Mohs Surgeon, radiation oncologist and primary care physician to provide the best care to the patient”, says Dr. Trivedi.
Skin checks are an important way to look out for potential lesions that could be cancerous. Abnormalities like scaly red patches, open sores, small scabs that don’t heal, scabs with recurrent bleeding, skin bumpiness, or moles that change shape and color should be carefully observed to ensure they resolve or heal. Common locations on the body for skin cancer include the face, scalp, ears, back of the neck, arms, shins, and less frequent locations include the palms, soles of feet, and underneath the nail beds.
“I tell patients to constantly keep an eye on how their skin looks when they look in the mirror, and if they see any new moles or lesions, then that should certainly require a check sooner,” she says.
When checking for melanomas, we use certain characteristics to identify more serious lesions. ABCDE is a simple key to remember and stands for asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolution. A or asymmetry means the lesion is not a round spot or mole but an irregularly shaped lesion. ‘B’ stands for border. Lesions without a smooth border but a jagged and uneven border are generally suspicious. ‘C’ stands for color, meaning the mole is not one uniform shade; it seems to have different colors or areas of lighter or darker shades. ‘D’ stands for the mole's diameter, a spot greater than 5 mm, or a pencil eraser. ‘E’ stands for any evolution of the mole with a recent change in its appearance.
Doctors commonly use the ‘ABCDE’ key during skin checks. If a spot is worrisome, a dermatologist's office biopsy can help determine whether it is serious.
Sources:
American Cancer Society: About Melanoma Skin Cancer
American Cancer Society: Immunotherapy for Melanoma Skin Cancer
National Institute of Health: Immunotherapy in Melanoma: Recent Advances and Future Directions
published: May 30, 2024, 3:34 p.m.