Skin Cancer Archive

This daily routine can help your aging skin stay healthy.

Your skin goes through many changes as you age. All you need to do is look in the mirror.

Aging skin loses fat and becomes thinner and drier. Red and pimply spots can appear on the face (a condition known as rosacea).

Increasingly, doctors are turning to prevention for this hard-to treat cancer.

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Ovarian cancer is a challenging foe. It's often found at an advanced stage when it's difficult to treat.

In recent years, researchers have learned that many cases of ovarian cancer don't even start in the ovaries. "It turns out that ovarian cancer is a bit of a misnomer. We think a portion of ovarian cancers actually arise from cells in the fallopian tubes," says Shelley Tworoger, adjunct associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and associate center director of population science at the Moffitt Cancer Center.

Bleeding indicates cancer only in a small percentage of cases, even though endometrial cancers are on the rise in American women.

You've gone through menopause and you thought your periods were a thing of the past — but suddenly, you're bleeding again, more than a year after your last period.

Should you be concerned?

The good news according to an analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine, is that most likely your bleeding is caused by a noncancerous condition, such as vaginal atrophy, uterine fibroids, or polyps. But the study also reinforces the idea that postmenopausal bleeding should always be checked out by your doctor to rule out endometrial cancer, a cancer of the uterine lining, says Dr. Ross Berkowitz, William H. Baker Professor of Gynecology at Harvard Medical School.

This challenging skin condition causes dark patches on the skin that can last for years.

By October, your summer tan is probably almost gone, but a glance in the mirror may still show some darkened patches on your skin that seem to be sticking around. These brown or grayish-brown blotches, typically on the forehead, chin, cheeks, upper lip, or nose, may signal a condition called melasma.

Melasma is sometimes referred to as the mask of pregnancy, because it is sometimes triggered by an increase in hormones in pregnant women. But while the condition may be common among pregnant women, it isn't limited to them.

Research we're watching

Need another reason to make your oral health a priority? Researchers at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that people with a history of gum disease also have a higher risk of stomach and esophageal cancers. They outlined their work in a letter published online in July 2020 by the journal Gut.

The researchers looked at two large studies involving a total of nearly 150,000 men and women. They found that during the studies' follow-up periods, which ranged from 22 to 28 years, people who had gum disease had a 43% higher risk of developing esophageal cancer and a 52% higher risk of developing stomach cancer compared with people whose gums were healthier. The authors proposed some ideas as to what was driving increased risk, such as greater exposure to oral bacteria or harmful substances produced by those bacteria. The authors said more study is needed to confirm their results.

News briefs

Having gum disease increases your risk for many health problems other than tooth loss, such as heart disease. To add to the list, a study from Harvard summarized in a letter published online July 20, 2020, by the journal Gut suggests that the microbes camping out between your teeth and gums may affect your risk for cancers of the stomach and esophagus. Harvard scientists analyzed health data from two large studies that included almost 150,000 men and women. In up to 28 years of follow-up, people with a history of periodontal (gum) disease were 43% more likely to develop esophageal cancer and 52% more likely to develop gastric (stomach) cancer compared with people whose gums were healthier. The risk was even higher in those with gum disease severe enough to cause tooth loss. The study is observational and doesn't prove that gum disease causes cancer, but it could mean that someday doctors will include a look at your gum health when assessing your overall risk. Fortunately, it's easy to prevent gum disease. The American Dental Association recommends that you brush your teeth twice per day, floss at least once per day, and get a dental exam and cleaning regularly.

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In the journals

Greater amounts of physical activity during the day are associated with lower risk of dying from cancer, according to a study published online June 18, 2020, by JAMA Oncology.

The study involved about 8,000 people, average age 70, who did not have a cancer diagnosis. Each wore an accelerometer on the hip during waking hours for a week to collect movement data.

The US Preventive Services Task Force has updated its lung cancer screening guidelines, to open up the screening to a wider range of people based on their age and smoking history, with the goal of detecting more cancers and reducing deaths.