At the cancer conference sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, Baylor College of Medicine and UT Health Science Center on December 11, 2009, doctors reported a new treatment option for women with advanced breast cancer who have stopped responding to other treatments.  According to the article, a combination of Herceptin and Tykerb gave women an additional 5 months of life over those given Tykerb alone.  My understanding is that these two drugs attach to a protein, HER-2 which is made in large amounts in 1/4 of the breast cancer patients.  Herceptin apparently blocks the protein's shell and Tykerb attacks it from within.  CBSonline.com/health, 12/11/2009  I thought this was interesting and encouraging information to address with your oncologists!!

Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have found the specific mutations within the DNA that cause melanoma and lung cancer. This will allow scientists to study the defective cells to come up with new treatments for melanoma and cancer. They have been able to see environmental causes for the mutations on the DNA; the primary environmental exposure for melanoma is sunlight and the primary environmental exposure for lung cancer is smoking. CNN.com/health, 12/17/09

Women are prone to deep lines and wrinkles around the mouth that worsen with advancing age, smoking and sun damage.   It happens to be a challenging area for plastic surgeons. Many women think a facelift will help smooth the lines. To do so, the surgeon would need to pull the face so tightly as to create an unnatural, 'wind-blown' look that still leaves the patient with the lines over and under the mouth.

The best way to address this problem is by a deep phenol peel or laser.  Both modalities "burn" the skin to a depth that allows healing of the tissues underneath.  There is no question that these techniques soften or eliminate the lines. Not all patients are candidates, however, because there is  a lightening of the skin following the healing process. So those patients with darker skin will show a true color change following the procedure.  An option for those patients, or others who choose not to go through the more invasive peel, is to use filler to try to plump the area.  This is not a "permanent" solution, but certainly beneficial.