Skin cancer

[Al-khiyal]

June 3, 2007 -- Sun worshippers are being warned that wearing sunglasses could increase the risk of skin cancer.

The glasses reduce the amount of ultra-violet light reaching key areas of the eye, tricking the brain into believing less harmful rays have penetrated the body.

The result, doctors believe, is that the body produces less of a natural substance it needs to defend itself against harmful ultraviolet light.

The theory will be published tomorrow in a book called Survival Of The Sickest, which analyses the origins of modern disease.

It was written by disease specialist Dr Sharon Moalem, who has studied the process of tanning and ultra-violet, or UV, light.

He thinks it may help explain the soaring rates of deadly skin cancer, or melonomas, in affluent countries.

His research has alarmed skin experts and led to calls for the development of "clear" sunglasses that protect the eye from UV damage but do not trick the body.

Previously, scientists and dermatologists had urged people to wear sunglasses to shield the retina from damage.

But Dr Moalem said: "Sunglasses make the brain think it's dark and this means you're not starting the natural process of tanning. You're more likely to burn and therefore at more risk of skin cancer."

He acknowledged there were other factors which led to tanning but said: "Light in the eye is an important factor. It helps to short-circuit the body's natural defence mechanism against the sun."

Dr Moalem's theory is borne out by research published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology suggesting that UV light in the eye activates a chemical known as the melanocyte-stimulating hormone which makes the skin thicken and go brown to protect it from harmful rays.

Professor John Hawk, melanoma expert for the British Skin Foundation, agreed that the production of the bodies' tanning chemicals "will almost certainly be diminished by sunglasses".

He said: "This is a very interesting theory that may well prove to be true and research into it is necessary."

However, he said good quality sunglasses also helped protect the eye against cataracts and other damage.

Professor Dorothy Bennett, an expert on cell biology at St George's University, London, also believed the theory was "entirely possible" but pointed out that it would be difficult to stop people wearing sunglasses.

Dr Sven Krengel, a German expert who has also studied the possible link between wearing sunglasses and increased risk of skin cancer, said: "I like this theory. I think it should be pushed forward for further research."

Dr Krengel published a separate paper in the Journal of Dermatology that suggested wearing sunglasses prevented people seeking shade in bright sunlight. He said this could partly explain why the incidence of skin cancer has been rising.

Last night he said: "Companies should produce sunglasses that are clear but still block damaging UV rays which increase the risk of cataracts and other eye damage."

Exposure to hot sun has been widely said to increase the chances of suffering skin cancer, due to damage posed by ultraviolet rays.

More than a million people in the US were diagnosed with the disease last year, making it the fastest growing cancer risk in America.

Malignant melanomas are one of the deadliest forms of cancer in Britain with 8,100 new cases each year and nearly 2,000 deaths.

Over the past 25 years, the incidence of deadly melanoma has increased more than for any other cancer in the UK.

Male rates have risen from about 2.5 per 100,000 in 1975 to 11.0 per 100,000 in 2003, while female rates have tripled from 3.9 to 12.6 per 100,000 in the same period.

The survival rate can be as high as 99 per cent but only if detected early.

Scientists have warned sunbathers to use sunblock or at least factor 15, wear protective clothes outdoors and avoid direct exposure to the sun when its rays are most intense.

People most vulnerable to skin cancer are those with many moles, with red or fair hair, and those who burn easily in the sun but find it difficult to tan.

The disease affects more women than men, with those aged between 40 and 60 thought to be most at risk, although two-thirds of sun damage is done before people turn 15.

Sunglasses may increase risk of skin cancer

[Al-khiyal]

July 31, 2007 -- A combination of coffee drinking and regular exercise may help to lower the risk of developing skin cancer, according to scientists in the US.

The two are thought to work together to kill off precancerous cells whose DNA has been damaged by ultraviolet-B radiation from the sun.

If the cells are left to divide, they can form malignant skin cancers and ultimately become fatal.

Rates of skin cancer in the UK have quadrupled for men and tripled for women in the past 25 years. The disease is the fastest growing cancer in the UK, partly because more people are taking sunshine holidays abroad.

More than 8,000 cases of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, are diagnosed in the UK every year, leading to almost 2,000 deaths.

At least 75,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer, a much milder and less harmful disease, occur each year in the UK.

Previous studies have suggested that exercise and coffee may each play a small role in protecting against skin cancer, but the latest research shows for the first time that when combined, the two may offer far more protection.

Scientists led by Allan Conney at Rutgers University, New Jersey, examined the effect of ultraviolet light on mice bred to be hairless, and so particularly vulnerable to the effects of sunlight.

Four groups of mice were exposed to UV-B radiation, but were given different diets and exercise regimes. One group drank caffeinated water, giving them a caffeine intake equivalent to one to two cups of coffee a day. A second group was fed pure water but allowed to exercise on a running wheel. The third group was given caffeine and access to a running wheel, while the fourth did no exercise and had no caffeine.

The scientists later took samples and checked for signs of UV-induced genetic damage. They also looked for evidence of a natural survival mechanism called apoptosis, in which damaged and potentially cancerous cells are forced to commit suicide before they can form tumours.

The tests showed that caffeine alone led to a 95% increase in programmed cell death and there was a 120% increase from exercise alone. But when combined, exercise and caffeine led to a four-fold increase in cell death, suggesting the body was able to rid itself of pre-cancerous cells much more effectively.

Details of the study appear in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The team plans to investigate the underlying reasons for its findings before organising a clinical trial in humans.

Coffee and plenty of exercise could cut risk of skin cancer

[Cheba_Mami]

not in too much amount it also is helpful to prevent (slightly) other types of cancer Thus, take a cup of coffee and relax!

[Al-khiyal]

THURSDAY, October 25, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- What's good for your diet may also guard against skin cancer.

Scientists have discovered that an extract of broccoli sprouts protects the skin against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

That's not the same as calling the extract a sunscreen, however.

"This is not a sunscreen, because it does not absorb the ultraviolet rays of the sun," explained Dr. Paul Talalay, a professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. "We don't want people covering their bodies with broccoli and going to the beach. They will have no protection whatsoever."

Exposure to ultraviolet or UV rays is the primary cause of most skin cancers. The incidence of skin cancer in the United States is on the rise as men and women who had too many sunburns earlier in life get older and develop the disease.

Talalay started working on skin cancer prevention about 25 years ago. "Cells contain an elaborate network of protective genes that code for proteins that protect against four principal injurious processes to which all of our cells are exposed and which are the causes of cancer, degenerative disease and aging," he explained.

Those four processes are: oxidation; DNA damage; inflammation and radiation, namely ultraviolet radiation.

The cells' protective system normally operates at about one-third capacity, so the real question is what would ramp up that system.

"Our strategy has been to find things that will boost the system," Talalay explained. Broccoli, in particular, has previously reported to have some anti-cancer effects.

"We looked in vegetables, and it turned out they had a rather large quantities of a compound that induced this system, particularly in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, et cetera," Talalay said.

The compound, called sulforaphane, is found in broccoli sprout extracts and was first identified by Talalay and his colleagues more than 15 years ago. Sulforaphane has been shown to inhibit tumor development in animals.

For this study, Talalay and his colleagues tested the compound in both mice and humans.

The human experiments involved six healthy volunteers. Each participant was exposed to UV radiation on two circles on their back that were either treated or not treated with different doses of broccoli extract.

The highest doses of the extract reduced UV-induced redness and inflammation (erythema) by an average of 37 percent, although protection varied from 8 percent to 78 percent.

"If you apply an extract of broccoli sprouts that contains high levels of sulforaphane to regions of human skin, you can protect them very substantially," Talalay said. "We believe, to the best of our knowledge, that this is the first demonstration of protection against a known human carcinogen in humans."

One expert was excited by the discovery.

"There is some interesting data here," said Dr. Vijay Trisal, an assistant professor of surgical oncology at the City of Hope Cancer Center, in Duarte, California. "Sulforaphane compounds have been known to boost the immune system locally. This has some basic science behind it."

"The same thing happens with interferon, which we use for melanoma. It boosts the natural killer cells," Trisal explained.

The findings do need to be replicated, Talalay noted.

"It's going to take a little while to work out how this should be applied," Talalay said. "We would need to have a preparation rich in sulforaphane that would be easily absorbed through the skin, and this is not yet a reality. But, since we're dealing with a food, we're not dealing with anything likely to have a toxicity."

The study is published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Talalay and a co-author are unpaid consultants to Brassica Protection Products LLC (BPP), which licenses the technology to produce broccoli sprouts. These two authors, along with Johns Hopkins University, are equity owners in BPP. Antony Talalay, son of Paul Talalay, is chief executive officer of BPP.

Broccoli may help fight skin cancer

[Bent_Bladi]

June 3, 2007 -- Sun worshippers are being warned that wearing sunglasses could increase the risk of skin cancer.

lol, that first sentence had me scratching my head... "sun worshippers still exist? ??"

[amalgamate]

But Dr Moalem said: "Sunglasses make the brain think it's dark and this means you're not starting the natural process of tanning. You're more likely to burn and therefore at more risk of skin cancer."

wow, that sounds like an oxymoron? or it's all ironic how what seems natural to do may give the opposite affect

what if a person has astigmatism and they are sensitive to sunlight. wearing sunglasses could get them vulnerable to cancer!?



wow.

oh and i'd LOVE to read that book!! "Survival of the Sickest" it sounds profoundly interesting!

[amalgamate]

Scientists have discovered that an extract of broccoli sprouts protects the skin against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.

That's not the same as calling the extract a sunscreen, however.

... "We don't want people covering their bodies with broccoli and going to the beach. They will have no protection whatsoever."

why not? people are doing the most bizarre things in public- why not smother yourself with broccoli and walk half naked at the beach?