Skin Cancer

  • Overview
  • Description
  • Research & Trials
  • Other Resources

About Skin Cancer

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Most skin cancers are classified as non-melanoma, usually occurring in either basal cells or squamous cells. These cells are located at the base of the outer layer of the skin or cover the internal and external surfaces of the body. Most non-melanoma skin cancers develop on sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face, ear, neck, lips, and the backs of the hands. Depending on the type, they can be fast or slow growing, but they rarely spread to other parts of the body.

Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes – the cells that produce the skin coloring or pigment known as melanin. Melanin helps protect the deeper layers of the skin from the harmful effects of the sun. Melanoma is almost always curable when it is detected in its early stages. Although melanoma accounts for only a small percentage of skin cancer, it is far more dangerous than other skin cancers, and it causes the majority of skin cancer deaths

Most of the more than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, accounted for an estimated 62,190 cases of skin cancer in 2006 and most of the 10,710 deaths due to skin cancer each year.

Piedmont Hospital's cancer services span the entire spectrum of care—from detection, diagnosis and research to treatment, education and support. We take a unique interdisciplinary approach that addresses the whole patient—medically, emotionally and socially. Combined with Piedmont's long-standing reputation for medical excellence, the result is peerless care backed by experience, innovation and a passion for what we do. We have an experienced staff of dermatologists available to treat all forms of skin cancer.

For more information about skin cancer treatment and prevention, see the patient information page.

The Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention risk assessment tool can be found at www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu. This site provides risk levels specific to certain cancers as well as great prevention tips.

The Great American Health CheckSM is an easy, confidential, online health assessment tool available at www.cancer.org/healthcheck. The tool was developed by the American Cancer Society and is made possible by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company ("MetLife"), with additional support from official sponsors Quest Diagnostics and Bayer Aspirin®.

Detailed Information about Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year.

For basal cell or squamous cell cancers, a cure is highly likely if detected and treated early. Melanoma, even though it can spread to other body parts quickly, is also highly curable if detected early and treated properly. The five-year relative survival rate for patients with melanoma is 92%. For localized melanoma, the five-year survival rate is 98%. Risk factors for non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers include:

  • unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation
  • fair complexion
  • occupational exposures to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds, or radium
  • family history
  • multiple or atypical moles
  • severe sunburns as a child

Skin cancer can be found early, and both doctors and patients play important roles in finding skin cancer. If you have any of the following symptoms, tell your doctor:

  • any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth
  • scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule
  • the spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark
  • a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain

The best ways to lower the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer are to avoid intense sunlight for long periods of time and to practice sun safety. You can continue to exercise and enjoy the outdoors while practicing sun safety at the same time.

  • Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
  • Seek shade: Look for shade, especially in the middle of the day when the sun's rays are strongest. Practice the shadow rule and teach it to children. If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun’s rays are at their strongest.
  • Slip on a shirt: Cover up with protective clothing to guard as much skin as possible when you are out in the sun. Choose comfortable clothes made of tightly woven fabrics that you cannot see through when held up to a light.
  • Slop on sunscreen: Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Apply a generous amount (about a palmful) and reapply after swimming, toweling dry, or perspiring. Use sunscreen even on hazy or overcast days.
  • Slap on a hat: Cover your head with a wide-brimmed hat, shading your face, ears, and neck. If you choose a baseball cap, remember to protect your ears and neck with sunscreen.
  • Wear sunglasses with 99% to 100% UV absorption to provide optimal protection for the eyes and the surrounding skin.
  • Follow these practices to protect your skin even on cloudy or overcast days. UV rays travel through clouds.

If you do not have a primary care physician to complete your yearly physical, you may click on this link for Piedmont's physician directory.

Cancer Research

Piedmont Hospital participates in clinical trials for a variety of cancers. We are a member of the Atlanta Regional Community Clinical Oncology Program (ARCCOP), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) project, which allows community hospitals access to clinical trials. We also participate in pharmaceutical sponsored clinical trials. This enables patients to participate in cutting edge research studies without having to travel far distances to a research institution or the NCI.

For more information, please contact the Oncology Research department at:

Bonita Feinstein
Piedmont Hospital
Oncology Research
1968 Peachtree Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
404.605.2887

For a listing of current Atlanta Regional CCOP clinical trials open at Piedmont, you may access www.atlantaccop.org.
For other information related to cancer clinical trials, you may access the following web-sites:
Georgia’s Cancer Clinical Trials - www.georgiacancertrials.org
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Trials – www.clinicaltrials.gov
National Cancer Society (NCI) – www.cancer.gov

Clinical Trials

Studies of promising new treatments are known as clinical trials. A clinical trial is done only when there is some reason to believe that the new treatment may be of value to the patient. Clinical trials are needed in order to find new and better ways to treat cancer. Treatments used in clinical trials are often found to have real benefits. The main questions the researchers want to answer are:

  • Is this treatment helpful?
  • Does it work better than the one we're now using?
  • What side effects does it cause?
  • Do the benefits outweigh the side effects?
  • Which patients are most likely to find this treatment helpful?

Clinical trials are carried out in steps called phases. Each phase is designed to answer certain questions.

Phase I clinical trials look at the best way to give a new treatment and how much of it can be given safely. The main purpose of a phase I study is to test the safety of the new drug.

Phase II clinical trials are designed to see if the drug works. Patients are given the highest dose that doesnt cause serious side effects and then watched closely to see if there is an effect on the cancer.

Phase III clinical trials compare the new treatment with standard treatment. Large numbers of patients are divided into 2 groups. The control group receives standard treatment and the other group receives the new treatment. Everyone is closely watched to see which treatment is more effective. The study is stopped if the side effects are too severe or if one group has much better results than the other.

If you are in a clinical trial, you will have a team of experts watching your progress very carefully. However, there are some risks. No one knows in advance if the treatment will work or exactly what side effects will occur. That is what the study is designed to discover. Keep in mind, though, that even standard treatments have side effects.

Taking part in a clinical trial is completely up to you. Even after joining a clinical trial, you are free to leave the study at any time, for any reason. Taking part in the study will not prevent you from getting other medical care you may need.

To Learn More

CALL

For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.

WEB SITES AND ORGANIZATIONS

The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. There are also many other places where people can get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Local hospitals may have information on local and regional agencies that offer information about finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems associated with cancer treatment.

PUBLICATIONS

The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.

LIVEHELP

The NCI's LiveHelp service, a program available on several of the Institute's Web sites, provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.

WRITE

For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:

NCI Public Inquiries Office

Suite 3036A

6116 Executive Boulevard, MSC8322

Bethesda, MD 20892-8322

About PDQ

PDQ IS A COMPREHENSIVE CANCER DATABASE AVAILABLE ON NCI'S WEB SITE.

PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.

PDQ CONTAINS CANCER INFORMATION SUMMARIES.

The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.

THE PDQ CANCER INFORMATION SUMMARIES ARE DEVELOPED BY CANCER EXPERTS AND REVIEWED REGULARLY.

Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.

PDQ ALSO CONTAINS INFORMATION ON CLINICAL TRIALS.

Before starting treatment, patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about new treatments, the risks involved, and how well they do or do not work. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard."

Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.

Date Last Modified: 2006-01-04

If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer your questions.