Our speaker via Zoom was Steve Fine, Founder and President of the Melanoma Education Foundation (MEF) via Zoom.
Steve Fine
Steve has a doctorate in chemistry from Northeastern University, a year of postdoctoral research at Lehigh University, and taught organic chemistry at Lafayette College for 5 years.  In 1989, he started a consulting practice in the technology of high purity chemical manufacturing.  Shortly after his son, Dan, died of melanoma in 1996 at the age of 26, Steve found the not-for-profit MEF.  The primary purpose of the Foundation is education high and middle school wellness teachers about melanoma and providing them with free online lessons to educate their students about self-detecting melanoma while it is curable.
**NOTES FROM STEVE FINE’S PRESENTATION – (Ed. warning:  This may make you reluctant to step outside of your dark home!!)
Early self-detection is the key to reducing deaths from melanoma.
Three types of cancer: basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma
  1. Basal:  raised waxy nodule, often cratered, slow-growing, seldom fatal, can grow above or below the skin.
  2. Squamous:  develops from actinic keratosis, slightly raised red patch, scaly, bleeds or scabs; may spread internally and become fatal if untreated, grows faster on lips
  3. Melanoma – American Cancer Society predicts more than 200,000 cases in 2024; there are new US melanoma deaths every hour of every day.
    New US melanoma deaths every hour.
  • Not just for older folks:  25% of new patients under age 40.
  • Melanoma is the most prevalent of all cancers in 25-29 age group.
  • Vulnerability increases throughout life with most onset at age 65+
  • One can develop melanoma regardless of skin color or other attributes.
  • In 90% of cases, there is no prior family history
  • Melanoma is often incurable once it reaches internal organs
The good news
  • The easiest cancer to identify early
  • Nearly always curable when caught in early stages.
  • Removal is painless, outpatient, local anesthetic
  • No chemo or radiation in early detection and removal
Marilyn Bedell thanking Steve Fine for joining us by Zoom
Two known risk factors
  1. Inherited – If you have 50 or more moles, large or irregular moles, sun-sensitive kin, family history of any kind of skin cancer
  2. Blistering sunburns under age 20; 3 or more such sunburns increase melanoma occurrence by a factor of 5 factor.  It is especially bad to expose “normally covered skin” to strong sun; regular tanning bed use
Folks with black skin also get melanoma; Bob Marley died of it at age 36.  It began unseen on his scalp until too late.
Steve gave us lots of information about and showed photos of moles
  • Normal moles have sharp borders, uniform color, and are <¼”wide.
  • Atypical moles:  irregular shape, fuzzy borders, nonuniform shades, “fried egg” appearance, >1/4” wide.
  • Hair in mole not higher risk
THREE WARNING SIGNS:
  1. Change in mole or other lesion:  size, color, shape, surface, or thickness
  2. New mole or growth appearing suddenly
  3. Don’t wait for bleeding, ulceration or itching
Melanoma starts in the epidermis.
  • If caught in the dermis layer, about 1 mm in = still highly curable
  • 2 mm down = increased risk
  • At 4 mm invading the subcutaneous layers = “prognosis not favorable”
  • As tumor grows it can begin to shed cells that will migrate to other parts of the body.  The deeper into the skin it penetrates, the more vessels it finds.
Melanoma can appear anywhere
  • 30% of new melanomas occur where there’s never been exposure to sun!!
  • Frequent location for white males – back
  • Frequent location for females – back of lower legs
  • Hispanic, Asian and black – feet, and to a lesser extent, hands
CHECKING YOUR SKIN MONTHLY – takes 10-12 minutes from head to toe
  • Use a wall mirror and a long-handled hand mirror.
  • Check your scalp with a hairbrush or dryer
  • Use a flashlight to inspect things, especially the scalp
  • Be sure to check behind neck, lower body, and both sides
  • Be thorough: check head to toes, front back sides, scalp.  Ask a family member to help
  • If you see something suspicious, demand to see a dermatologist.
  • Visit the website  skincheck.org
KINDS OF RADIATION
  1. UVA comes not only from sun but from all kinds of radiation, like X-rays; it penetrates deeper layers than UVB
  2. UVB – sun
NO AMOUNT OF TANNING IS SAFE
  • Every tanning use under age 35 increases lifetime melanoma risk by 22%
  • Sunless tanner is the only way to safely tan
  • Dyes act on dead skin only
  • over the counter;
  • spray tanning booth; gradual can darken skin
  • Go to sunless.com for more info on sunless tanning.
  • Do not rely on sunscreen – it has to be applied thickly and reapplied to provide the promised SPF protection.  If in swimsuit, apply fully cupped handful; apply every 2 hours, after swimming, when sweating.  Should use 6 oz.
  • Zinc oxide protects against both UVA and UVB
  • Use sunblock stick rather than lotion on nose, lips and upper cheeks, tops of ears; stick won’t run into eyes or mouth
  • Wear protective clothing
  • Best is UPF (same as SPF) 50 clothing
  • Hat: wide all-around brim
  • Sunglasses labeled 100% UV protection
  • Minimize exposure outdoors from 10 am to 4 pm
  • Protect against reflected sunlight also – sand, water, haze, snow, sidewalks, light buildings
  • Clouds and cold temperature don’t block UV; use sunblock even on cold cloudy days.
TAKEAWAYS
  1. Observe your skin (all of it!) carefully at least once a month.
  2. Be your own advocate.
  3. Don’t wait for your annual visit
  4. Don’t be cowed by doctor – say that you are concerned about a growth
  5. “When in doubt, have it out!!”