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It's a reminder of a health risk facing many Americans
Friday, August 25, 2000
Photographs of a smiling John McCain wearing a bandage on his left temple after melanoma surgery remind us yet again of our own mortality. Two tumors were recently removed from the temple and left arm of the Arizona senator and former presidential candidate.
Whenever a famous person falls ill, it puts his or her disease in the spotlight. Their personal battles have the potential to save lives.
Melanoma, a malignant tumor involving the skin cells that make pigment, is among the deadliest cancers if it is allowed to spread. Sen. McCain is not, however, the typical patient. Melanoma is the most frequently occurring cancer among women 24 to 29. And its incidence in 30- to 34-year-old women is second only to breast cancer.
The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be 2,400 new cases of melanoma in Pennsylvania this year. It is not a cancer that strikes large numbers of people, but it is often deadly and is on the rise. Ninety-eight percent of the tumors involve discoloration of skin or birthmarks such as moles, and most occur in the fair-skinned.
The best way to prevent the cancers is still limiting exposure to the sun, especially for children and teens. And sun lovers are cautioned not to extend their time outside when wearing sunscreen. Sunscreen wearers may actually have a higher incidence of melanoma because they stay in the sun beyond the period when the sunblock protects them.
When the cancer is caught early - on the surface of the skin - chances of survival are 80 to 85 percent. Cures are harder to come by after the cancer descends deep into skin, when survival rates drop to 30 percent. If the cancer affects lymph nodes and internal organs, survival rates fall to 10 percent. In some cases, surgery is followed by chemotherapy, immunotherapy and radiation.
Doctors recommend an annual head-to-toe skin exam by a dermatologist as a preventive step. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute offers free screenings for melanoma and other illnesses.