With the incidence of skin cancer doubling in the last 20 years, it is becoming more and more important for health professionals to be able to identify these dangerous malignancies. Skin cancer is more likely to occur in individuals of light complexion who have had significant exposure to sunlight, and both types of skin cancer are more common in the southern latitudes of the Northern hemisphere.

Cause of Skin Cancer
Sun exposure
Indoor tanning - tanning beds are a cause of skin cancer
Genetic predisposition
Unhealthy diet for several decades - Diet and skin cancer - A diet comprised of high meat and fat intakes increases squamous cell carcinoma tumor risk, particularly in persons with a skin cancer history.
Pale skin color
Job exposure to radiation ups skin cancer risk

Natural Options for Skin Cancer treatment of prevention
Research with vitamins or supplements for skin cancer prevention or treatment is still very new, therefore no statements can be made with any confidence. However, it is interesting to point out that certain herbs or supplements have anti skin cancer activity in test tubes. I have listed some of this skin cancer research a few paragraphs below. Here are some options:

Curcumin is an extract from turmeric spice. You can find Curcumin for sale here.
Grape skin extract may be helpful.  You can find Grape-Seed extract  for sale here.
Silymarin found in milk thistle herb.  You can find Milk-Thistle for sale here.
Green tea extract appears to be helpful in many types of cancer

Skin cancer and grape skin extract
Chemicals found in grape seeds may help ward of skin cancer due to regular exposure to the sun. Researchers from the University of Alabama, Birmingham exposed hairless mice to ultraviolet-light. Some of the mice they fed a standard diet supplemented with grape seed proanthocyanidins, while control mice were fed a standard diet without this supplement. Dietary supplementation with grape seed proanthocyanidins inhibited light-induced carcinogenesis, study. Mice supplemented with grape seed proanthocyanidins had up to 65 fewer skin cancer tumors than control mice did. Moreover, the tumors seen in grape seed proanthocyanidins -supplemented mice were smaller than those seen in the control mice. Based on the current findings, studies of grape seed extract for the prevention of skin cancers in humans are warranted.

Skin cancer symptom - sign of Skin Cancer
The symptoms of non-melanoma skin cancer can usually be seen quite easily since they tend to occur most often on sun exposed skin. It is helpful to detect the early sign of skin cancer in order to avoid a larger section of skin from being removed.  Skin cancers can appear as

* A spot or sore that does not heal within several weeks
* A spot or sore that continues to itch, hurt, scab, crust or bleed for more than a month
* Areas where the skin has broken down or ulcerates with no obvious cause, and does not heal within several weeks. An ulcer is an area that is breaking down and begins to get deeper. This can be called erosion.

Type of skin cancer
The main types of malignant skin cancer are:

* malignant melanoma,
* basal cell carcinoma (BCC),
* squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are often grouped together and referred to as non-melanoma skin cancer.

Basal Cell Skin Cancer
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. Basal cell skin cancers look like a small, slow growing shiny pink or red lump. If left, they tend to become crusty, ulcerate or bleed. Basal cell skin cancer occurs on the face, scalp, ears, hands, shoulders and back. Basal cell skin cancer can occur on the nose. Some people misspell basil cell skin cancer as opposed to basal cell.

Squamous cell skin cancers
Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin malignancy. Squamous cell skin cancer often appears as pink lumps. They may have hard of scaly skin on the surface. They can bleed easily and ulcerate. They are most often found on the face, neck, lips, ears, hands, shoulders, arms and legs.

Skin cancer treatment
The overall cure rate for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma is directly related to the stage of the disease and the type of treatment used. However, since neither basal cell carcinoma nor squamous cell carcinoma are reportable diseases, precise 5-year cure rates are not known.

Other Types of Skin Cancer
Although basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are by far the most frequent types of skin tumors, the skin can also be the site of a large variety of malignant neoplasms. Other types of malignant disease include malignant melanoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (e.g., mycosis fungoides), Kaposi’s sarcoma, extramammary Paget’s disease, apocrine carcinoma of the skin, and metastatic malignancies from various primary sites.

Melanoma Skin Cancer
Australia has the highest skin cancer rate in the world and despite decades of health campaigning the rate of melanoma, which is the most common kind of skin cancer, is soaring.

Skin Cancer in Young Women
The incidence of two types of skin cancer has tripled among women under age 40, a sign that tanning is still popular among the young despite warnings about the harm it can cause. The rate of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers rose to 32 per 100,000 women under 40 in 2003 from 13 per 100,000 in the late 1970s.

Risk of Melanoma with Skin Cancer
Women who've had common, highly curable forms of skin cancer may face a heightened risk of the deadlier skin tumor melanoma. A study of more than 67,000 white postmenopausal women found that those with a history of non- melanoma skin cancer were 70 percent more likely than other women to develop melanoma during the study period. The findings suggest that there are genetic influences that make some people vulnerable to both melanoma and non- melanoma skin cancers. Two forms of non-melanoma skin cancer -- basal cell and squamous cell -- account for the large majority of skin cancer cases, and are rarely fatal themselves. Based on the new findings, though, the diseases can be added to the list of risk factors for the deadlier melanoma. The results are based on data from the Women's Health Initiative, a large study of U.S. women begun in 1994 that collected detailed health and lifestyle information and followed up with participants annually. Women with a history of non- melanoma skin cancer should thorough skin examinations at frequent intervals to catch any new lesions early. SOURCE: Cancer, February 1, 2006.

Sunscreens and Skin Cancer
Lawsuits filed in March, 2006 accuse sunscreen makers of exposing millions of people to skin cancer and other dangers through false and misleading claims about the effectiveness of their sunscreen skin care products. The nine suits - involving some of the most popular brands, including Coppertone, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Bullfrog and Neutrogena - charge that manufacturers dangerously inflate claims about the protective qualities of sunscreens, lulling consumers into believing they are safe from the dangers of prolonged skin exposure to sun. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer. The suits, filed in California, name as defendants Johnson & Johnson Inc., Schering-Plough Corp., Playtex Products Inc., Tanning Research Laboratories Inc. and Chattem Inc. The suits focus on labels that claim the sunscreens protect equally against the sun's harmful UVA and UVB rays, and also claims of how long supposed waterproof sunscreen remains effective in water. "In truth and in fact ... as defendants knew or should have known, their skin protection products, at best, only protect the skin against harmful UVA rays with shorter wavelengths, while the skin remains exposed to harmful UVA rays with longer wavelengths that penetrate deep within the skin," according to the suits.

Organ Transplant patients and Skin Cancer
Organ transplant recipients have a much higher than average risk of developing the skin cancer squamous cell carcinoma. Dermatologists want physicians, nurses and patients to be aware of this risk so that any skin growths that look suspicious can be treated as early as possible.Transplant recipients are 65-times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, involving not only the skin but other areas of the body, such as the throat, vagina and the cervix. These cancers are the result of the powerful drugs these patients must take to suppress their immune system so it doesn't attack and reject the transplanted organ.

Skin Cancer research update
Silymarin and skin cancer prevention: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects (Review).
Int J Oncol. 2005 Jan;26(1):169-76.
Several environmental and genetic factors are involved in skin cancer induction, however exposure to chemical carcinogens and solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation are primarily responsible for several skin diseases including skin cancer. Chronic exposure of solar UV radiation to the skin leads to basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Chemoprevention of skin cancer by consumption of naturally occurring botanicals appears a practical approach and therefore world-wide interest is considerably increasing to use these botanicals. Sunscreens are useful but their protection is not ideal because of inadequate use, incomplete spectral protection and toxicity. Silymarin, a plant flavonoid isolated from the seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has been shown to have chemopreventive effects against chemical carcinogenesis as well as photocarcinogenesis in various animal tumor models. Topical treatment of silymarin inhibited 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-initiated and several tumor promoters, like 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, mezerein, benzoyal peroxide and okadaic acid, induced skin carcinogenesis in mouse models. Similarly, silymarin also prevented UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis. Wide range of in vivo mechanistic studies indicated that silymarin possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties which may lead to the prevention of skin cancer in in vivo animal models. The available experimental information suggests that silymarin is a promising chemopreventive and pharmacologically safe agent which can be exploited or tested against skin cancer in human system. Moreover, silymarin may favorably supplement sunscreen protection and provide additional anti-photocarcinogenic protection.

Skin cancer chemoprevention: strategies to save our skin.
Recent Results Cancer Res. 2003;163:151-64; discussion 264-6. Einspahr JG, Bowden GT, Alberts DS. Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
There are over 1 million cases of skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States. The majority of these are nonmelanoma skin cancer and are associated with chronic exposure to ultraviolet light (UV). Actinic keratosis (AK) has been identified as a precursor for squamous cell carcinoma, but not for basal cell carcinoma. AKs are far more common than SCC, making them excellent targets for chemoprevention. Cancer chemoprevention can prevent or delay the occurrence of cancer in high-risk populations using dietary or chemical interventions. We have developed strategies that have rational mechanisms of action and demonstrate activity in preclinical models of skin cancer. Promising agents proceed to phase I-III trials in subjects at high risk of skin cancer. UV light induces molecular signaling pathways and results in specific genetic alterations (i.e., mutation of p53) that are likely critical to skin cancer development. UVB-induced changes serve as a basis for the development of novel agents. Targets include inhibition of polyamine or prostaglandin synthesis, specific retinoid receptors, and components of the Ras and MAP kinase signaling pathways. Agents under study include: epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea catechin with antioxidant and sunscreen activity, as well as UVB signal transduction blocking activity; perillyl alcohol, a monoterpene derived from citrus peel that inhibits Ras farnesylation; difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase and polyamines; retinoids that target retinoid X receptors and AP-1 activity; and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit cylooxygenase and prostaglandin synthesis. We performed a series of Phase I-II trials in subjects with multiple AK. For example, a phase II randomized trial of topical DFMO reduced AK number, suppressed polyamines, and reduced p53 protein. Our goal is to develop agents for use in combination and/or incorporation into sunscreens to improve chemoprevention efficacy and reduce skin cancer incidence.

Skin Cancer Epidemic
There appears to be an unrecognized epidemic of skin cancer underway in the United States. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer, and a person's risk of the disease doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns. Basal and squamous cell carcinomas, the most common and treatable types of skin cancers, had long been considered a problem only for people over 50. But it appears that the percentage of women under 40 with the more common type, basal cell, tripled between 1976 and 2003, while the rate of squamous cell cancers increased four-fold. More than 50% of skin cancers occur on skin frequently exposed to the sun, such as the head and neck, rather than the normal 90%. Most of the remaining cancers are seen on the torso. This may be due to more widespread use of tanning beds. Two types of ultraviolet (UV) light are implicated in skin cancers. UVA, which penetrates deeper into the skin and impairs its immune defenses, is more responsible for melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer. UVB exposure causes sunburn, as well as squamous and basal cell skin cancers. Tanning beds chiefly release UVA, although some also use UVB.

Skin cancer questions
Q. I am looking for research material on a natural treatment protocol for skin cancer for a client. They have a squamous cell carcinoma in situ. Any suggestions?
   A. I don't have a particular skin cancer treatment protocol with natural herbs or supplements, but listed at the top of the page are some herbs and nutrients that may have an influence.
 

Additonal links on this web site
5-htp is popular for sleep and mood
ahcc is used for cancer treatment
carnosine is a strong antioxidant
coq10 improves energy
Graviola is an herb from the Amazonian rainforest
impotence herbal treatment
Mangosteen extract
serrapeptase is a strong enzyme
saw palmetto and pygeum
sexual enhancement product
Sitosterol or beta sitosterol
Vinpocetine as brain booster