Melanoma skin cancer is the deadliest and most dangerous form of skin cancer, and it affects and kills millions of people around the world. There are many new studies that are being done to try to cure and prevent this horrific disease. People need to be more careful and work to prevent Melanoma. This blog will talk about how to prevent the disease, the different research being done, and the different vaccines being used.
Some causes of this cancer are sun exposure, moles, skin type, weakened immune system, and your personal history. Although there may be a lot of causes and risk factors for Melanoma, there are also many different prevention techniques. Such as, limiting your ultraviolet exposure, seeking shade on a sunny day, wearing sunglasses or a hat, avoiding tanning beds, and one of the most important rules always wear sunscreen! Also, if you find any new moles or growths that are not symmetrical, this may be a reason to get them checked.
Scientists have worked very hard in trying to find out how ultraviolet rays can damage our skin cells, and explain how this might make them cancerous. One recent study on Melanoma explained how there may be a protein that is can block the spread and the development of a cancerous cell. These results may help to discover a new treatment in the near future. In addition, in June of 2011, there was a new drug approved called ipilimumab that uses immunotherapy and may even be able to reverse the disease. This is a new and different kind of chemotherapy. For cancer, there are vaccines that are presented and used after the person already has cancer. Now, scientists are trying to figure out ways to create a vaccine that can prevent cancer, which is very difficult.
Immunotherapy attacks the melanoma cells in the body, and it’s a type of treatment for the cancer patients. There are some vaccines used now to try to treat Melanoma. These are ipilimumab, cytokines, and the BCG vaccine. Ipilimumab is a man-made version or a protein and it assists in keeping the immune system cells healthy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t cure Melanoma, but it does show some progress. For example, it has shown that people live a few months longer than what was expected of them. Fatigue, diarrhea, skin rash, and itching are the most seen side effects. These vaccines may not cure Melanoma cancer, but scientists are still working to try and find better treatments and cures for this horrible disease.
In conclusion, these techniques for prevention are very important in helping to not develop this type of cancer. There are different ways after you develop the cancer to try and make the tumors shrink or leave for good. For example, there is chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Scientists and researchers all over the world are trying to develop new vaccines and techniques in preventing cancer. Hopefully these studies will help lead us to new discoveries on the horrific skin cancer that is known as Melanoma.
Questions:
- How do scientists and researchers find new vaccines and treatments for Melanoma?
- How can you tell if you have the skin cancer? What are some signs you should get something checked out?
- What causes Melanoma to appear? How can you prevent it?
I think this is a super interesting post especially because you mentioned that they found a possible cure for this deadly disease! The video attached was super informative and was easy to understand even though it went into depth! This video was a GREAT addition to an awesome blog post! Did you know that May is skin cancer awareness month? Regarding question number two, there are multiple signs that can point to potentially cancerous moles or areas on the skin. This website is really awesome about telling you all the possible warning signs of skin cancer as well as more ways to prevent it from happening. http://www.skincancer.org/ If you have abnormal discoloration in the skin that itches or continues to grow it is a very good idea to go into your dermatologist and have them take a quick look at it. Regarding question number three, the best way to prevent skin cancer is to NOT use tanning beds or fry yourself in the sun because as you mentioned in your blog post, UV light is the biggest factor in skin cancer and even the American Cancer Society recognizes UV light as the biggest factor leading to skin cancer. So best thing to do is be smart, wear sunscreen, and not spend excessive time in the sun because I don’t know about you but I’d rather be pale and slightly orange from tanning lotion then have scars from skin cancer.