Skin Health

Posts

APPLYING SAP FROM COMMON GARDEN WEED ‘COULD CURE SKIN CANCER

The plant has been used for centuries as a traditional folk medicine to treat conditions such as warts, asthma and several types of cancer. But for the first time, a team of scientists in Australia has carried out a clinical study of sap from Euphorbia peplus , which is related to Euphorbia plants grown in gardens in the UK. The study of 36 patients with a total of 48 non-melanoma lesions included basal cell carcinomas (BCC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and intraepidermal carcinomas (IEC), a growth of cancerous cells confined to the outer layer of the skin. Patients had failed to respond to conventional treatment including surgery, or they refused or were unsuitable for surgery because of their age. The patients were treated once a day for three consecutive days by an oncologist using a cotton bud to apply enough of the E.peplus sap to cover the surface of each lesion. The initial results were impressive, says findings to be released this week in the...

NEW DRUG THERAPY FOR BCC

Genentech Submits New Drug Application to FDA for Vismodegib for Rare Form of Advanced Skin Cancer Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), today announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application for vismodegib to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of people with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) for whom surgery is considered inappropriate. Vismodegib is an investigational, oral, targeted medicine designed to selectively inhibit signaling in the Hedgehog pathway, which is implicated in more than 90 percent of BCC cases. BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, which is generally considered curable by surgery. However, when it advances, BCC can cause disfiguring and debilitating effects and can ultimately be life-threatening. “We are excited by the pivotal study results that showed vismodegib substantially reduced tumor size or healed lesions for people with this rare skin cancer, which has no approved ...

RETINOL SUPPLEMENTATION REDUCES MELANOMA RISK IN WOMEN

Taking daily vitamin A supplements could protect against deadly melanoma skin cancer, scientists claim. According to researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, a compound found in vitamin A, (Retinol), is vital for protecting against skin cancer. Retinol is part of a family of chemical compounds known as retinoids and penetrates the outer layers of the skin and repairs damage to the lower layers, where collagen and elastin are found. Acid found in Retinol encourages skin cells to function normally and increases regular cell renewal. It is also widely praised for its anti-aging properties. Expert dermatologists analyzed the skin cancer risk in 69,635 men and women aged between 50 and 76 who took a daily vitamin A supplement, either through a pill form or as food supplements. Researchers discovered that those who took the supplements, in particular, retinol, were 60% less likely to develop melanoma skin cancer, the deadliest form,...

FAT-REDUCTION STUDY FINDS NO EFFECT ON SKIN CANCER INCIDENCE

March 23, 2012 (San Diego, California) — Contrary to expectations, a reduction in dietary fat was not associated with a decreased risk for skin cancer, researchers reported here at the American Academy of Dermatology 70th Annual Meeting. “Our findings were unexpected as they contradicted our hypothesis that a low-fat diet would decrease the risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC] and melanoma, which we did not see in the overall analysis,” presenter Christina Gamba, a fourth-year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, told Medscape Medical News . However, a subanalysis of the findings suggests that an even lower fat intake than was studied might indeed be protective. “We did see a small signal in the women with a healthier baseline diet who were assigned to a low-fat diet,” she said.

NAIL UV LAMPS AND SKIN CANCER

UV lamps commonly used in nail salons are akin to ”mini tanning beds” and may pose a skin cancer risk, says one of Australia’s leading melanoma researchers. Graham Mann, professor in medicine at the University of Sydney and a researcher at the Westmead Millennium Institute and Melanoma Institute Australia, said the lamps had the same type of long-wave ultraviolet radiation which promoted tanning. He described the UV lamps as ”mini tanning beds”. Tanning beds were recently banned by the NSW government. Professor Mann, the lead author of a major study last year into melanoma and tanning beds, said more research into the nail lamps was required to assess the risk. ”I suspect it is a concern,” he said. ”It’s hard to know exactly how much extra risk it would produce but I am sure it produces some. There’s not been much research done to link up the use of these nail ovens with skin cancer, although it’s definitely something worth exploring.” The ban on tanning beds will come int...

SKIN CANCER: WOMEN HAVE A 30% EDGE

Women diagnosed with melanoma are more likely to survive the skin cancer than men and less likely to have it recur, according to a European study. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, support research showing that women are less likely to die from melanoma, the deadliest of the skin cancers. Researchers suggested that biological differences between the sexes might influence how the body deals with cancer, although a definitive explanation of the better outcome for women remains uncertain. Lead author Arjen Joosse and his team looked at four clinical trials that melanoma patients had joined. The more than 2 600 study participants were followed for two to 12 years. Over time, 366 of the men and 267 of the women died. This meant women were 30 percent less likely to die from any cause during the time studied, and nearly 30 percent less likely to die from the melanoma than men. They were also 30 percent less likely to have a relapse. Earlier studies...