Common dietary advice is to limit the consumption of processed red meat to reduce the risk of certain cancers such as colorectal cancers, pancreatic and prostate cancer. Melanoma rates have been on the rise over the past 30 years, but no studies have conclusively linked red and processed meat consumption with increased risk. A recent …
Dr. Abel Jarrell, a dermatologist and dermatopathologist, shed light on the management of early and thin melanomas on Day 3 of the SDPA Annual Summer Conference. Dr. Jarrell began his lecture with the statement “some of the most valuable time you can spend in your education is focusing on pigmented lesions”. He presented the best …
Day 2 of the SDPA Summer Conference ended with an illuminating lecture on eyelid malignancies by Dr. Michael Yen, an oculoplastic surgeon. The most common eyelid malignancy is basal cell cancer representing 95% of eyelid malignancies. Suspicious characteristics for eyelid malignancies include growth, lid notching, ulceration, telangiectasias and deepening pigmentation. Madarosis, or loss of eyelashes, …
The connection between dysplastic nevi and cutaneous melanoma is well established. A recent study explored whether nevi and freckles found on the iris are also predictors of cutaneous melanoma. Over 1100 participants completed a questionnaire regarding sun exposure history, sun sensitivity, use of sunglasses, hats and sunscreen, past medical history. Images of the iris were …
Because childhood and adolescent melanomas are rare, adult-based protocols are often used for treatment. It has been hypothesized that using such protocols may result in unnecessary morbidity because childhood melanomas may follow a less aggressive disease course. Previous research has shown that childhood melanomas present with thicker tumors and sentinel lymph node metastasis. Researchers have …
Statin drugs, used to combat high cholesterol, are a commonly used drug in the United States. As the use of statins continues to rise, so too does the incidence of melanoma and keratinocyte carcinomas (KCs), which include squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Some studies have noted that certain cellular mechanisms that …