Posts Tagged melanoma

Melafind – Does it Work for Melanoma?

Posted by admin in Medicine in the News on November 10, 2011

Melafind is a new FDA approved melanoma detection tool. Looking through the company literature and the FDA Melafind Protocol, it appears to be a computer-assisted detection device. An image is taken through the system and processed to determine the probability of a skin lesion being melanoma.

The study data seems to support that the system is at least as good as “expert dermatologists” in detecting melanoma and other “near melanoma” skin lesions. Cost will likely determine the actual application of the system. More numbers are needed to tell how good or bad the system is relative to a quality doctor in detecting melanoma. That happens after the FDA approval process when the system is used in the “real world.”

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Kaye Cowher dies of Skin Cancer at 54

Posted by admin in Medicine in the News on August 19, 2011

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, died Friday after battling skin cancer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. She was 54.

Born Kaye Young in Bunn, N.C., she met Bill Cowher at N.C. State in 1976, where he was a football player and she and her twin sister Faye played women’s basketball. The couple married in 1981.

Kaye Cowher played a key role in her husband’s decision to retire from coaching in 2007 and move full-time to Raleigh, so the family could be together as their daughters completed their high school and college basketball careers.
-from ESPN.com

Skin cancer death are almost always due to melanoma. The family has not released any information, but this is the most likely cause. Wear your sunscreen….

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Originally posted 2010-07-24 12:00:15.

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John McCain, Melanoma, and Plastic Surgery

Posted by admin in celebrity plastic surgery on October 16, 2010

Just before he ran for President, John McCain was under fire for his history of melanoma and the surgery (plastic surgery too?) that may have went along with it. There is no honor in politics. It appears that Mr McCain had had four melanoma lesions, only one of which was serious enough to be a real threat to his life. That one was apparently on this left temple and required surgery for the lesion itself (with 2 centimeter margins) and some of the lymph nodes in his Parotid gland/left neck. This is considered routine for melanoma of the face of intermediate thickness in some centers. Those lymph nodes were negative by report.

On the question of cosmetic surgery, the the senator is harder to figure. The neck and Parotid surgery frequently leave swelling in their wake. This may explain in part the discrepancy between the sides of his face and neck. Could he have had some cosmetic work to make less apparent the surgery for the left temple melanoma? That is possible, as images I have seen between 2006 and now seem to show that the neck has tightened a bit. A simple face/neck lift would have been a good idea around that time seeing his Presidential run coming in the distance.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Originally posted 2008-09-01 07:30:00.

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Adult Film Star Houston Diagnosed with Melanoma

Posted by admin in Other Celebrity News on July 16, 2010

The adult film star known as Houston has developed Stage III melanoma. This was apparently found in a lymph node in her arm. She was scheduled for chemotherapy after having surgery.

According to her blog, the primary site of this cancer has not been identified. Melanoma usually arises from a skin site due to sun exposure.

Good luck to her in this difficult time. Contributions can be sent to her via her blog which was linked above until it turned into a spam farm.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Originally posted 2008-07-31 07:30:00.

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A Dr D Lentigo Maligna Case

Posted by admin in skin cancer on October 19, 2009

Lentigo Maligna

Lentigo Maligna is pre-invasive melanoma. They look like “sun spots” but if left alone can become invasive melanoma and that is a skin cancer that can kill. Not all melanomas are black in color.

These pre-invasive cancers require that the pigmented area be removed with an area of the normal-looking skin around it. This creates a large hole that may need the services of a plastic surgeon to repair in a way such as to minimize the disfigurement.  This is another of my recent reconstructive plastic surgery cases from my south orange county office.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Melanoma and Plastic Surgery

Posted by admin in skin cancer on July 15, 2005

OK, so my practice isn’t Kmart, but Melanoma is seemingly on “Blue Light Special” and these recent cases are all on the right shoulder. I am sure somebody will say it has something to do with the stars. I saw two patients today and another scheduled for next week. Melanoma patients are not infrequently sent to plastic surgeons for reconstruction. The “removal” operations for melanoma take large portions of healthy tissue around the cancer to help deter recurrence. This works usually, but leaves large holes that we are asked to help fill. This is not cosmetic surgery folks….

Melanoma is the rarest of the skin cancers, but the only skin cancer that has a reasonable possibility of killing you. These things can be nasty like the alien in one of those Sigourney Weaver movies. It is summer, so don’t just buy that sun screen….wear it! Skin cancers are a consequence of lifetime sun exposure and melanoma is thought to come especially from pre-pubescent sun exposure. So lather up the kids!

The melanoma picture you see pictured above is a past case from a few years ago. See the irregular border? That’s a sign of a mole possibly going toward the dark side…..

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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