If you have had any type of cancer, practice precaution when you’re out in the sun this summer.
Avoid direct sunlight and stay in the shade as much as possible. Some of the chemo drugs and anti-nausea medications can also cause heightened sensitivity to sunlight.
“I talk about this with all my patients, particularly as they undergo chemotherapy,” said Dr. Joseph Edmund, hematologist/oncologist at Marshfield Clinic Health System. “This treatment makes skin more sensitive to the sun.”
The radiation therapy can cause redness of your skin which is temporary side effect. Skin exposed to radiation fields are more sensitive to UV light.
UV light can also cause radiation recall, where areas exposed to radiation therapy in the past can look like severe sunburn and may blister, peel and become red, swollen, and painful. Your skin “recalls” where radiation beams were directed. It is recommended to provide extra protection to the areas that underwent radiation therapy forever.
Protect yourself while in the sun.
The same precautions dermatologists stress to people are very important for patients who have undergone or are undergoing cancer treatments.
If you have undergone or are undergoing cancer treatments and are in sunlight, wear a wide-brimmed hat; use sunscreen with a skin protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 and re-apply it every two hours or every hour to any area that is getting wet; and don’t use tanning beds or lights.
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“I cannot stress that enough,” Dr. Edmund said of tanning beds. “Please avoid them completely. There is no safe amount of indoor tanning, and the ‘pre-vacation’ indoor tan is neither a safe nor recommended approach to sun safety. That can’t be emphasized enough.”
Avoid risk taking, like drinking and smoking.
“In general, once you’ve had a primary cancer, you are at risk for another cancer in addition to being at risk for recurrence of the primary tumor,” Dr. Edmund said. “You are more at risk than a person who’s never had cancer, so we advise patients to take general preventive measures like being current on cancer screenings, colonoscopy or pap smear for example, avoiding risk factors for cancer such as smoking or excessive use of alcohol.
Risk takers, like chronic smokers and drinkers, are also more likely to develop cancer because of their exposure to chemicals and toxins.
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Nearly 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes or secondhand smoke exposure. Quitting smoking lowers the risk for 12 types of cancer.
“I have seen many patients who are chronic smokers who present with head and neck cancer and get treated successfully for it but continue smoking and develop a second cancer like lung cancer,” Dr. Edmund said. “This is not uncommon. The key is to educate the public on cancer prevention measures by making the right lifestyle decisions.”
For cancer help, talk to a Marshfield Clinic Health System provider.
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