Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - University of Virginia - (Page 54)

For a man who has melanoma, heeding his wife’s advice proved to be a lifesaving shot A Swing B ob Donnelly is one of the lucky ones. Taking the advice of his wife and daughter, he had a suspicious-looking mole on his neck checked by a doctor. It turned out to be a fast-growing melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Fortunately, his melanoma was caught in time to be effectively treated. “I thought it was just a birthmark. But my wife and daughter noticed that it was changing color,” says Donnelly, 78, a retired United Methodist minister who lives at Lake Monticello in Fluvanna County, Va. OLDER MEN AT RISK When it comes to melanoma, many older men aren’t so fortunate. According to recent studies published in Archives of Dermatology (now ), JAMA Dermatology), many men may be waiting too long before seeing a doctor about suspicious moles. This may help explain why the death rate for melanomas is steadily rising among middle-aged and mature men while decreasing among women in this same age group. White men older than 50 make up nearly half of the 9,000 melanoma deaths in the U.S. each year. YOUNG WOMEN AT RISK, TOO A new study shows the number of melanomas found among women younger than 40 increased more than eightfold between the 1970s and 2000s. Cases of melanoma among men younger than 40 also increased more than fourfold during the same time period. Researchers say women may be hardest hit by melanoma because they are more likely to suntan or use tanning beds. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or tanning beds is the main risk factor for melanoma. Melanoma can strike at any age. In fact, melanoma is the most common form of cancer among 25- to 29-year-olds and the second most common form of cancer among adolescents, notes Soﬁa Shea, MD, a University of Virginia Health System dermatology pathologist. > 54 FA L L 2 013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - University of Virginia

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - University of Virginia
Contents
Life in Balance
Feeling Weighed Down?
Out of Rhythm but Not Options
Step It Up
Your Mightiest Muscle
Well, Well, Well
Are You Doing More Harm Than Good?
Is Your Shut-Eye Serving You Well?
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge
Anatomy of an ER Visit
Next-Gen Surgery
Attack from Within
Virtual Health
Struggling to Breathe
Heads Up
A Swing and a Hit

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - University of Virginia