National Comprehensive Cancer Network Urges Excisional Biopsies for any New Skin Growths
According to George Hollenberg, a leading NY-area pathologist and founder of Acupath Laboratories, researchers charged with updating the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Melanoma for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network are recommending a far more aggressive approach to catching the deadly skin cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. The new guidelines from the NCCN - an alliance of 20 of the world's leading cancer research and treatment centers - encourage immediate full excisional biopsies of any suspicious new skin growths.
Plainview, NY (PRWEB / PRWEB) May 19, 2006 -- Researchers charged with updating the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Melanoma for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network are recommending a far more aggressive approach to catching the deadly skin cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. The new guidelines from the NCCN – an alliance of 20 of the world’s leading cancer research and treatment centers – encourage immediate full excisional biopsies of any suspicious new skin growths.
“And for good reason,” says Dr. George Hollenberg, M.D., a leading NY-area pathologist and founder of Acupath Laboratories. “When we find Melanoma in its earliest localized stage, where it has not spread, the five-year survival rate is 98%,” Dr. Hollenberg notes. “When we find it after it has already spread to distant organs, the survival rate drops to 14%.” That’s because, while surgical removal of the tumor is effective against early stage Melanoma, there is no effective adjuvant therapy against advanced Melanoma. “The best odds for this particular cancer are early detection and prevention,” Dr. Hollenberg explains.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 60,000 cases of Melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year alone, and approximately 85% will be caught in a localized stage. “This is good news, as it indicates the vast majority of Melanomas are being diagnosed when we can treat them effectively,” Dr. Hollenberg says. “However, the new NCCN treatment guidelines will help us to achieve an even greater percentage of early-stage diagnoses,” he predicts.
Type of biopsy used is also critical, researchers say
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network advises doctors to perform excisional biopsies, rather than shave biopsies, on lesions they suspect may be melanoma, because this type of biopsy gives pathologists and treating physicians with the most information about the lesion. In fact, at the March 2006 meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology, doctors from the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC presented a study in which shave biopsies were shown to provide inadequate sampling for the correct staging of patients. These researchers also recommended excisional biopsies as the standard in cases where melanoma is suspected.
Melanoma is a cancer in which the patient can play a key role in both prevention and early detection, through lifestyle changes, skin self-examinations, and self-advocacy. “Patients who are informed about the research community’s recommendations about excisional biopsies for any suspicious new skin growths will be more likely to insist on this early diagnostic test than those who don’t know about it,” Dr. Hollenberg explains. “This knowledge, coupled with the awareness of preventive lifestyle changes and skin self-exams, will help an even greater percentage of patients survive a Melanoma diagnosis,” he adds. Dr. Hollenberg offers the following guidelines for reducing the risk of developing Melanoma, along with strategies to detect it in its earliest stage:
· To Help Prevent Melanoma, practice sun safety by avoiding the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's rays are strongest. Cover as much skin as you comfortably can with clothing, and slather on sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher for any exposed skin. Reapply sunscreen often, and use it on sunny, hazy and even cloudy days, all year long. Wear a hat, sunglasses with UV ratings of 99-100%, and lip balm with SPF protection as well. “Melanoma is a largely preventable cancer, especially when people make these lifestyle changes a lifelong habit, both for themselves and for their children,” Dr. Hollenberg says.
· To Ensure Melanoma is Caught Early, report to your dermatologist or primary care physician any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth. Also report scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule, the spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark, or a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness or pain. “Advocating for a biopsy when any of these changes are present will give patients their best chance, if it is a Melanoma diagnosis, for an early stage, treatable, curable one,” Dr. Hollenberg concludes.
About Dr. George Hollenberg
Dr. George Hollenberg, M.D. is an authority in the fields of pathology, clinical pathology and dermatopathology with expertise in the areas of dysplastic nevi, melanoma, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer. Board-certified in Pathology and Dermatopathology, Dr. Hollenberg is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, The American Society of Dermatopathology and the AMA. He has published articles on skin, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer, and is the Consultant in Dermatopathology to The North Shore University Hospital Center. As the founding director of Acupath Laboratories, Inc., Dr. Hollenberg supervises the analysis of tens of thousands of biopsies per year, using the latest cutting-edge technology in histology and immunocytochemistry, as well as the latest advances in computerized report preparation. www.acupath.com
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