America’s First Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine
Last Thursday the Food and Drug Administration approved Provenge for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Provenge is the first therapeutic vaccine to be approved in the U.S. for cancer treatment, ushering in what may be a new era in immune-based cancer treatments. Approval marks the successful conclusion of a 20-year odyssey with some remarkable twists and turns. My part of the story …
Read more on The Atlantic
Poor ‘missing out on cancer care’
Cancer patients from poor areas are more likely to be diagnosed late and go to hospital as an emergency, a study suggests.
Read more on BBC News
Skin Cancer of the eyelids poses several diagnostic and management challenge. As a referral specialist, I see these patients well after a significant progression has occurred and the diagnosis is fairly obvious. The excision and reconstruction if these tumors requires a great degree of creativity and flexibility to achieve the optimal result.
The ultraviolet radiation that is primarily responsible for malignant transformation of skin cancer are 290 to 320 nm(UV-B). The most common malignancies affecting the periocular region are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, sebaceous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma accounts for 90% of all eyelid malignancies. The tumor primarily involves the lower eyelid (50% to 66%) and the medial canthus (25% to 30%). The upper eyelid is affected in 15% of cases and the lateral canthus in 5%. Although these statistics are helpful, many skin cancers involve adjacent anatomic areas such as the forehead and cheek, and pose even greater challenges in reconstruction.
» Read more: Eyelid Skin Cancer