Skin cancer statistics and facts in the USA

Skin cancer is cancer of the skin, the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the US, with basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas also. There are a few behavioral factors which tend to increase the chance of suffering from skin cancer. Of these, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, from the sun or devices such as tanning lamps, may be the most vital. Tanning in this context refers to the skin getting darker as a consequence of exposure to uv light in order to minimize further damage to the skin, but will not help prevent skin cancer from developing.

Other more significant risk factors are those people with a naturally pale skin color, whose skin can blister, freckle, flush or endure pain easily after sun exposure, blue or green-eyed, reddest or blond-haired, and many moles or some specific mole types. Furthermore, there are those who have been sunburnt or tanned actively, those from families with a history of skin cancer, those with a past history of skin cancer, and the old who are at risk as well.

Also geography is a contributing factor. UV light transmission is higher at greater altitudes and close to the equator because the atmosphere is thin, and the sun is at its peak in the heat. Continued exposure to X-rays and contact with arsenicals and coal increase skin cancer interface levels.

A very important preventive measure is the avoidance of certain practices, such as indoor tanning and the application of sunbathing lotions and wearing sun shields. But as surveys show, the high school students, including those surveyed through the Youth Risk Behaviour Surveillance System and the National Health Interview Survey of people over 18, exhibit different adjustments of these models depending on the age, highlighting the need for proper medication charts to monitor and address related health concerns.

Signs and Symptoms of Skin Cancer

Aside from treatment, it has been proven that early diagnosis of skin cancer virtually guarantees effective treatment. One of the most primary signs of skin cancer is the change in the skin itself, developing new spots or changes in moles that already exist. Moles that are bothered or colored, new growth or sores that do not come out that patients have is also something to be concerned. Skin cancer can be present in places where there is not much sunlight exposure such as below the fingernails, genital areas and the mouth cavity.

The deadly skin cancer known as melanoma may be diagnosed with the help of the “ABCDE rule” suggested by the doctors: A-Asymmetry (one part of the mole or birthmark is not like the other), B-Border (the edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred), C-Color (the color is not uniform all over and various other shades may be present), D-Diameter (a large area equal to or more than 6 mm in cross section), E-Evolving (the characteristics involve changes in shape, size or even color, such as itchiness or bleeding). Fortunately, self-conducted examinations over the entire body where alterations could be noticed as well as consulting a clinician were mandated when the changes raised suspicions.

As skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States with over 9,500 people daily getting under the knife, the significance of awareness and early diagnosis cannot be overstated. With frequent self and clinician evaluation of the skin, it will be possible to detect the cancer of the skin early and, therefore, the most curable kinds of cancer.

Challenges in Management

Latest Challenges (2023)

The management of skin cancer, especially advanced melanoma, has been substantially improved with new treatment options introduced in 2023. On the sixteenth of February, Iovance Biotherapeutics’ Amtagvi (lifileucel) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making it a cellular therapy specifically designed for advanced skin cancers. This therapy is meant for patients suffering from metastatic melanoma and are drug resistant. These treatments employ the use of TILs or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes whereby more immune cells are incorporated into the tumor to improve the effectiveness of treating the cancer.

What makes Amtagvi stand out from other therapies is its innovative use of the patients’ own T cells, in a fashion similar to CAR T-cell therapy. The cells are harvested, stored, and injected back into the patients to target the cancer. Following a phase 2 multi-center clinical trial, accelerated approval was granted to the therapy and its advantages are currently being confirmed in a larger phase 3 study. The therapy requires an estimated $515,000 upfront cost for each patient.

The research of Amtagvi fits well in the current trend of the treatment of melanoma headed towards the use of both immunotherapy and targeted therapy. The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors, drugs that lift the brakes of the immune system, greatly changed the disease prognosis, allowing even patients with advanced melanoma to experience five-year survival rates of about 50%. These treatments have changed nearly all patients who had what was previously regarded a fatal disease, into patients who can live with the disease as a chronic condition or in many cases, even get cured.

Novel Melanoma Therapies (2023)

In 2023, the most notable changes in melanoma treatment were in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy management. The Food and Drug Administration approval for nivolumab (Opdivo) as an adjuvant therapy for completely resected melanoma Stage IIB/C in subjects 12 years and older is reported on October 13, 2023. The approval came after performance of the CHECKMATE-76K trial where 790 patients with Stage IIB/C melanoma were subjected to a randomized, double-blind controlled Setup. Such trial subjects were given either nivolumab at a dose of 480mg or Placebo at intravenous infusion every four weeks for either twelve months or until disease recurrence or any intolerable toxic effects was observed.

There was also a single-arm phase 2 conducted to determine the efficacy of a combination of the new drug vidutolimod and the PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab as a therapy before surgery for patients with stage 3 cutaneous melanoma. Sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), this trial documented a tumor control rate of 55 %. Published in Cancer Cell, the results endorse the further development of vidutolimod as a therapy for cutaneous melanoma but also suggests the treatment may have applicability in some other forms of cancer. It should be pointed out that this trial is the first to use this particular drug combination in the neoadjuvant setting, with effective results that are similar to approved combinations of immunotherapy.