Medical Cancer Treatment

Good news for women with high melanoma risk factors, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. You might reduce your chances of developing it by 50% by ensuring you get enough vitamin D and calcium supplements according to some promising new research.

Doctors know that increased risk of this form of cancer comes from already having a non-melanoma (basil or squamous cell) skin cancer. Researchers on the study believe the findings are quite encouraging in terms of preventing melanoma in a population classed as high-risk.

Calcium and vitamin D are known for playing a part in the growth of bones, but they do affect other cells of the body as well. Some research has also shown that these two bone helpers are tied to a lower risk of breast, colon, prostate and other types of cancers.

400 IU (international units) of vitamin D is all you need according to the researchers. Whereas, the U.S. IOM (Institute of Medicine) suggests 600 IU daily.

The theory suggests that skin cancer cells lay in wait to form into a melanoma, but taking calcium and vitamin D, in the right amounts, might keep them from growing into a tumor.

Calcium has shown itself to be able to minimize tumor growth in those who have colon cancer. The researchers also noted that an earlier study they saw vitamin D supplementation cutting the chances of melanoma in older men.

For the current work, the team gathered information on over 36,200 women aged between 50 to 80 years who were taking part in the Women’s Health Initiative study. To determine if calcium and vitamin D had an effect on broken hips or cancer of the colon, the subjects were assigned to take either supplements or a placebo. The supplements included 1,000 mg of calcium along with 400 International Units of vitamin D.

Over the next seven-years, the women who took the supplements and had a non-melanoma skin cancer cut their chances of developing a dangerous melanoma by a whopping 57% compared to subjects who did not receive the supplements. The reduction did not come for those who hadn’t already suffered with a non-melanoma skin cancer.

From figures released by National Cancer Institute in America, 68,000 plus people are diagnosed with melanoma each year in the U.S. It’s thought that lots of sun exposure in your youth ups your chances for developing for non-melanoma skin cancer. However, sunlight also has a role in vitamin D synthesis. The thinking goes that increasing your vitamin D levels naturally might help your skin cells from becoming cancerous. The role of calcium is not yet fully understood.

More work needs to be done to see if the results appear in men or younger women. The team also plans to test vitamin D and calcium compounds on cancer cells directly.

In the meantime, if you’re at risk of skin cancer or not, getting enough vitamin D is important for keeping yourself healthy. You can get this important nutrient from foods like fatty fish and dairy, exposure to natural sunlight (not during peak hours of course) or taking daily supplements.

People nowadays are likely to develop skin cancer moles because of long exposure to sunlight. The good news is that this type of cancer is the most curable if detected at the early stage. But if it is not treated, can result to death.

Moles are growth on the skin that is clustered and often brown, black or flesh-color and appears anywhere on the skin. The normal average of moles is from 10 to 40. However, an individual who have more than 100 moles are at risk to acquire melanoma.

Listed below are types of mole cancer:

• Basal cell carcinoma that is developed on skin that is sun-damaged which is likely to affect Caucasian.

• Melanoma which is the rarest form of skin cancer and if not treated will spread to the other parts of the body and will then lead to fatality and is blue in color.

• Squamous cell carcinoma is targeting fair skinned people but affects men than women.it can destroy tissues and is invasive. Causing health problems and if untreated will lead to death.

• Actinic Keratosis can lead to squamous cell carcinoma if not cured early. It affects fair skinned people, eyes that are blue, hazel and green and individuals who have blonde and red hair. People who have weak immune system are also susceptible to acquire this type of skin cancer. This mole is typically rough, pink or red patches and.5 inch in size.

• Actinic cheilitis or commonly known as “sailors lip” or “farmers lip”. The lower lip is affected and can lead to squamous cell carcinoma. People that are fair skinned, elderly, men and those that use tobacco are affected. The growth of this skin cancer is accompanied by cracking on the lips and dryness.

Here are the guides to be able to identify if the mole on your skin is cancerous. The ABCDE are vital in enabling you characterize the risky moles.

• A – Asymmetry. If the other half of the mole is not the same in size, color, thickness and shape.
• B – Borders. The edges are irregular, blurred, poorly defined and rough.
• C – Color. Uneven shades of brown and black or the mole has added colors of brown, red, black, blue and white
• D – Diameter. A mole that is greater than 6mm or the size of a pencil eraser.
• E – Elevation. Part of the mole is raised.

If you are suspecting that you have skin cancer moles, it is important to consult a dermatologist. They are the ones who are capable of examining the mole if it can cause health problems.

There procedures that can remove the moles that pose risk to your health. Don’t get sun exposure when the sun is shining at its hottest (10am-3pm) and apply sunscreen. Be aware of the changes and have a skin check regularly.