Skin Cancer

BETHESDA, Md--Delta-amino-levulinic acid (ALA), a compound found in cells throughout the body, holds potential as an active drug in photodynamic therapy and could provide an alternative to surgery for patients with basal and squamous cell carcinomas, R. Rox Anderson, MD, said at the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation conference.

HOUSTON--Just in time for another of Texas' legendary red-hot summers, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is receiving national and local acclaim for a skin cancer prevention program aimed at fourth- and fifth-grade students.

A national study underway at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will determine whether breast cancer patients can benefit from a biopsy procedure that has been successfully used for skin cancer patients. Patients with melanoma, the most serious kind of skin cancer, have benefited from an advance that has reduced the pain and complications of surgery performed to ascertain whether their cancer has spread.

Treatment with Mohs micrographic surgery produces cure rates of 93% to 99% for the most common skin cancers, basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, Perry Robins, md, reported in The 1996 Skin Cancer Foundation Journal.

BETHESDA, Md--Research supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute has led to discovery of a tumor-suppressor gene involved in basal cell carcinoma.

Dr. Trimble's review of female genital tract melanomas provides a well-organized summary of the published information on these rare cancers. His inclusion of the two recent population-based samples from the United States and Sweden [1,2] is particularly useful because all of the available data on genital tract melanomas comes from long-term retrospective case reviews. The cited incidence rates calculated in the studies represent the first legitimate estimates of the incidence of these uncommon cancers.

Approximately three-fourths of all skin cancer-associated deaths are caused by melanoma. During 1973 to 1991, the incidence of melanoma increased approximately 4% each year. In addition, the incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than that of any other cancer. To characterize the distribution of deaths from melanoma in the United States, the CDC analyzed national mortality data for 1973 through 1992. This report by the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, summarizes the results of that analysis.

BUENOS AIRES-Ultraviolet (UV) radiation contributes to skin cancer induction not only by transforming normal cells to cancer cells but also by impairing the host immune response to skin cancer, said Daniel Yarosh, PhD, president of Applied Genetics, Inc., Freeport, NY.

NEW YORK--Sunscreens represent the first line of defense against skin damage from the sun, and broad-spectrum products offer the best protection, Madhukar A. Pathak, MB, PhD, said at a media conference sponsored by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

NEW YORK--If the face is the area of the body most vulnerable to sun damage, the eyes are in need of special protection, Rene S. Rodriguez-Sains, MD, said at a media conference sponsored by the Skin Cancer Foundation. Malignancies of the eyes and periocular area are particularly serious because of their proximity to the brain and other vital structures, he said.