Category Archives: Skin and Beauty

A study conducted by Swedish researchers indicates that certain strains of HPV, or the human papillomavirus, may increase your likelihood of developing nonmelanoma skin cancers.

Specifically, the researchers found that individuals with certain types of HPV in their skin cells were at a 30% greater risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma over the course of 30 years than individuals unaffected by these types of HPV. Risk factors for skin cancer commensurate with the ongoing length of the HPV infection.

HPV is the most common type of sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the U.S. HPV is a virus from the papillomavirus family and affects the skin and the moist membranes that line the body, including the mouth, throat, fingers, nails, feet, anus and cervix.

There are literally over a hundred types of cancer that have been identified by the American Cancer Society to date. In addition, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, right behind heart disease, and accounts for roughly 575,000 deaths per year.

Just a couple of days ago, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval of a new drug designed to fight advanced cases of basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer. Erivedge (generic name: vismodegib) is intended to treat cases of basal cell carcinoma where the cancer has already spread throughout the body, or metastasized, and are unable to be surgically removed. Erivedge is the first advanced skin cancer drug to ever pass the stringent FDA approval process.