DermHelpCentral

Cancer Facts: Melanoma (NIH)

Here are the U.S. melanoma statistics for the past 20 years.  (If you click on the link, you will see an instructive graph, also pictured below) The incidence of melanoma has increased almost 2 fold in two decades, but the number of people dying of melanoma per year has barely increased.  This indicates that the vast majority of people diagnosed with melanoma will do well in spite of many more melanomas being found.  Because of screening and looser standards, the number of people diagnosed with melanoma has markedly increased; but the annual number of melanoma deaths has been constant.  This is good news for the majority of people diagnosed with melanoma.

This graph shows a doubling of the number of annual melanoma cases in the U.S. since 1992, but no change in the number of deaths.  It means that in spite of the advances in therapy, the same number of people are dying.  It should give patient pause before choosing aggressive treatment protocols that have not been proven to improve outcome.

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Decision Aid

The question of whether to undergo a SLN biopsy for melanoma is a difficult one.  It is clear that some experts recommend it while others don't.  Where does that leave a patient?  In England the National Institute for Clinical Excellence provides decision aids for many conditions. Here is a link to the SLN Decision Aid.  Please give it thought and discuss it with your dermatologist or surgeon.  The decision is really up to you.

PhRMA Rules

JAMA Dermatol (formerly the Archived of Dermatology) is sent free to all dermatologists in the U.S.  Each issue comes in a clear wrapper and an envelope advertising new drugs is affixed to the front page.  A recent advert was for Rhofade, a topical cream that reduces the erythema associated with rosacea.  Its effect lasts ~ 12 hours.  Rhofade costs over $500 for a 30 gram tube with a GoodRX coupon.  Sadly, the American Academy of Dermatology has allowed itself to be co-opted by industry.