Skin Cancer

Are people genetically programmed to seek the sun? Personally, I've always thought so. And now a new study suggests that there may really be a genetic impulse to seek the sun, though there's plenty of evidence that excess exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer. In the study, published in the March 9 issue of CELL, Dr. David E. Fisher, director of the melanoma program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, reported that the same biochemical process that leads to skin tanning also raises levels of a natural opiate, the "feel good" chemical, beta-endorphin.

High in the Earth's stratosphere, the ozone layer that shields our planet from the sun's harmful rays is in jeopardy. And the statistics are alarming:In Antarctica, the ozone hole is more than twice the size of Europe. It now covers swaths of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and the southern tip of South America.That's the largest it has been since it was discovered in 1985, according to the World Meteorological Organization.In Australia, up to three out of four people are expected to develop skin cancer.

It's time to slather on the sunscreen. But any old brand won't do, even if it's an SPF15 (the sun protection factor experts recommend to block out the most dangerous ultra-violet rays) or higher. Recent studies show that we've been underrating the power of those rays.How so? UV rays are divided into two spectrums: UVA (which has two ranges, I and II) and UVB. "Up until recently, we've focused our attention on combating UVA II and UVB rays, because we thought UVA I rays were harmless," says Dr. James Leyden, dermatology professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

There's nothing wrong with wearing sunscreen -- as long as you wear something else with it like a hat with a very wide brim. Long pants and a long-sleeved shirt wouldn't be a bad idea, either.Sunscreens do provide some protection against damage caused by the sun, but just how much is open to question. And many of the nation's dermatologists are concerned that a recent decision by the federal Food and Drug Administration regarding labeling of sunscreens will result in only more skin cancers and sun- related skin damage.

Dr. Edward James Beattie,79, a lung cancer specialist who treated Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey and the last Shah ofIran, died of skin cancer Feb. 27 in New York.Mark Dexter Hollis,89, a public health official who warned of the dangers of air and water pollution nearly 50 years ago, died Feb. 24 in Lakeland, Fla.William Workman,77, who helped create CBS-TV's venerable current events program "Face the Nation," died Thursday in Sarasota, Fla., after years of battling Parkinson's disease.

Sunscreen? Check.Sunglasses? Check.Hat? Check.Think that's enough to stave off harmful rays? Not necessarily, say the makers of sun-protective clothing, a growing category of sportswear for the UV-wary. Marketed under such names as Solumbra, SunSkins and Shades, the specially fabricated garments reportedly block out most of the rays linked to skin cancer.Although skeptics may wonder if this is just a way to scare money out of the sun-sensitive, others believe these pants, shirts, hats and jackets may benefit people eager to heed warnings about exposure.

The mole removed from Doug DuVall's chest last summer may end up saving thousands of Howard County students and educators from skin cancer.The Wilde Lake High School teacher and football coach credits the early detection of that mole with saving his life.Now, he wants to give something back, and the first step begins tonight when DuVall joins the Howard County Skin Cancer Prevention Project in trying to raise awareness of the dangers of the sun among the Howard schools' coaches, physical education teachers, nurses and health assistants.

First came the Dunce of the Month award.Dr. Rex Amonette was aghast when he saw himself pictured in a national magazine wearing a dunce cap. The past president of the American Academy of Dermatology, an authority on skin cancer, roasted as a dunce?But that was just the start. Next, his house was pelted with eggs.The soft-spoken Memphis, Tenn., doctor blamed local agitators and laughed it off. "I'm not a very adversarial person," he says. "I never planned to get myself involved in something like this."

The incidence of malignant melanoma has soared to 18 times its level in 1930, meaning that 1 in 84 Americans will develop the virulent skin cancer over their lifetime, according to a study made public yesterday.That's the fastest rate of increase of any cancer, and translates into one American dying every hour from melanoma."Everybody sensed the risk was rising rapidly, but seeing the numbers is a little frightening," said Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, associate professor of dermatology at New York University Medical School, who presented his findings at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting in San Francisco.

Thomas O. Enders, 64, a diplomat who was involved in the secret bombing of Cambodia during the Nixon administration and who guided the early Reagan administration policy in Central America, died Sunday in New York of skin cancer.Olga Rudge, 101, a violinist and companion of poet Ezra Pound, died Friday at her home in northern Italy. She was born in Ohio in 1895 and met Pound in 1916 when she was a young violinist and he an acclaimed poet.Pub Date: 3/20/96

A proposal to restrict minors' use of tanning facilities in Baltimore County, and assess penalties on those who violate the law, failed Monday by a County Council vote of 2 to 5. Two councilmen who voted against the measure said it would usurp parents' rights. Current state law allows those under age 18 to get such a tan with parents' permission. "I struggled with this because the intent is good, but I am not comfortable taking away parental rights," said Councilman John A. Olszewski Sr. Prompted by a "rise in skin cancer," Councilman Vincent Gardina said the bill he drafted would effectively reduce teens' exposure to ultraviolet rays, which have been linked to skin cancer.

The Baltimore County Council will consider a measure tonight that would ban minors from tanning facilities and assess penalties on those who violate the law. The bill before the seven-member panel would require that minors under the age of 18 use tanning devices only with a written prescription from a physician, who specifies the nature of the condition that requires treatment, and the number of visits and time of exposure for each use. Councilman Vincent...

The link between ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer is so well documented, particularly the risk posed to young people, that banning teenagers from tanning salons ought to be a no-brainer. Yet only now is one Maryland jurisdiction finally moving in that direction. Once again, Howard County is shining a light on an important public health subject. Tanning salon beds produce UV radiation just as surely as the sun. While over-exposure to the sun may be inadvertent, there's nothing accidental about lying under tanning lamps.

When Michelle McCoy attended River Hill High School, she went to a tanning salon every other week in winter. Then she noticed moles on her hip and arm. Now 21 and a student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, McCoy covers up in the sun, uses sunblock and worries about skin cancer. "I have a cousin who got skin cancer," McCoy said. She attended the news conference held by County Executive Ken Ulman and health officer Dr. Peter L. Beilenson on Tuesday to support their effort to make Howard the first county in Maryland to bar indoor tanning for anyone younger than 18. "Minors don't know what's good for them," she said, noting that she had once stayed in a tanning bed for 18 minutes and been burned.

When Robyn Broomell was pregnant a few years ago, she needed advice from a specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center because she is a diabetic. But Broomell, 35, of Rising Sun, never set foot in the specialist's Baltimore office. Instead, she met him several times by videoconference while she was at an Elkton hospital, saving her the trip down Interstate 95. "At first, I was kind of leery" of long-distance medical advice, she said. "I thought it was kind of an odd thing.

Produce-linked food poisonings on the rise Americans didn't suffer more food poisoning last year despite high-profile outbreaks involving peppers, peanut butter and other foods, according to a new government report. Rates of food-borne illnesses have been holding steady for four years. They had been declining from the mid-1990s until the beginning of this decade, mainly because of improvements in the meat and poultry industry, some experts say. But produce-associated food poisonings have been increasing, and the nation is no longer making progress against food-borne disease rates, said Elliot Ryser, a professor of food science at Michigan State University.

Video games Playing can boost skills such as problem-solving Parents, don't put away those video games just yet - today's gamer may be tomorrow's top surgeon. Researchers who gathered in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed a series of studies suggesting video games can be powerful learning tools - from increasing younger students' problem-solving potential to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons. The conclusion? Certain types of video games can have benefits beyond the virtual thrills of blowing up demons.

Are you about to embark upon the sunny, sultry open road? Don't forget to apply sunscreen, particularly on your left arm, even if you don't intend to stick it out the window. You say you own neither a convertible nor a sunroof? It doesn't matter. Some of the sun's harmful, ultraviolet rays can penetrate glass and damage skin cells, making your body susceptible to some skin cancers. In fact, as the close of summer nears and folks cram in as many outdoor activities as possible before fall, it might be a good idea for people to check how their skin type and lifestyle make them susceptible to cancer-causing sunburn.

A popular hormonal treatment for prostate cancer does nothing to extend the lives of men over 65 with early-stage tumors and may actually be harmful, according to a study published today. The report, which reviewed the cases of almost 20,000 older men with early disease, further casts into doubt the common public perception that doing something for cancer is always better than doing nothing. Most older men whose cancers have not spread beyond the prostate gland would do better to forgo treatment and have their condition monitored, according to authors at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.

Warm weather is here at last. But before you hit the beach or the tennis courts or head for the pool, make sure you've taken precautions to protect yourself from the sun's searing rays, says Dr. Oanh Lauring, a dermatologist at Mercy Medical Center. Who is at risk for skin cancer? Anyone who is exposed to the sun, but those at highest risk are patients with fair skin. So typically blonds, people with red hair, blue eyes or fair skin to start with are at increased risk. But black people need sunscreen, too. They do burn, and if you are someone who has any kind of dark marks or discolored skin such as acne or other darker areas, those areas need protection as well.