Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Offers Free Skin Cancer Screening
(Published 4-13-2007) Summer is coming and before that happens, the skin experts at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital recommend that you have your skin checked for moles or irritations.

Health: Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Featured in the Media)

(Published: 12-27-06, CBS 3) Squamous cell carcinoma, the type of skin cancer that First Lady Laura Bush had removed from her leg, is common and the procedure to remove it is standard, according to a Thomas Jefferson University Hospital dermatologist.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer yearly. Jefferson dermatologist Tanya Humphreys, M.D., explained that this type of cancer can be caused by time spent outside without the proper precautions.  "Typically squamous cell carcinoma occurs in areas of chronic sun exposure such as the face, the lower lip, the ears, the bald scalp, tops of the hands, shins and tops of feet in the case of women," she said.

Dr. Humphreys said that basal cell is a more common and less dangerous type of skin cancer, while melanoma can be deadly if not detected early.

Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology

Media Coverage:
CBS 3

The Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Named Melanoma Center of Excellence
(Published 12-1-2006) The Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia has been recognized by The Melanoma Hope Network (MHN) as a Melanoma Center of Excellence (MCE). The KCC is one of the first 10 cancer centers to be designated as an MCE by the network.

A Sunny Day Can Mean All Sorts of Distress (Featured in the Media)
(Published 6-19-06, New York Times) Summertime is not so easy for people living with certain autoimmune diseases. The sun, heat and even air-conditioning can intensify symptoms and cause problems that linger for months, if not years.For doctors who manage those diseases, primarily lupus, scleroderma and Raynaud's phenomenon, the challenges of educating their patients about sun avoidance become greater, too.

Covering the entire body, even in the heat, is critical for scleroderma patients because they have greater susceptibility to skin cancer. And since the blood vessels can also become sclerotic, or thickened, full coverage helps protect people from the shock of entering an air-conditioned environment. "The problem is that in the summer these patients go from dramatic warm to cold, and they can become very symptomatic from that," said Dr. Chris T. Derk, an assistant professor of medicine in the rheumatology division at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Department of Medicine
Division of Rheumatology

Media Coverage:
New York Times

Jefferson Scientists Find Blood Vessel-Building Protein Halts Blood Vessels from Forming in Cancer
(Published 11-14-2006) A piece of the protein cellular scaffolding involved in building blood vessels during development might have the opposite effect in tumors.

Researchers Engineer Immune System Cells to Fight Skin Cancer (Featured in the Media)
(Published 8-31-06, Voice of America) Researchers at the National Cancer Institute say they are the first to succeed at using gene therapy to manipulate the body's natural defense system, boosting the tumor-fighting ability of lymphocytes, or T-cells, to fight melanoma.

David Berd, M.D., professor of medicine oncology at Jefferson Medical College, and a cancer vaccine researcher, thinks that the NCI scientists have a long way to go in developing a successful treatment for cancer. He says the tumor antigen targeted by the re-engineered T-cells is found on the surface of many harmless cells in the body. Ultimately, the gene therapy might not work in a lot of people.
Division of Medical Oncology

Media Coverage:
Voice of America

Jefferson Graduate and Medical Students Display Research at Sigma Xi Research Day March 21
(Published 3-21-2006) Some of the most sophisticated and advanced student research in science and medicine will be on display at Thomas Jefferson University on Tuesday, March 21, 2006. The Jefferson chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, is holding its annual Student Research Day from 12:30 P.M. to 3 P.M. in Bluemle Life Sciences Building, 233 S. 10th Street.

Jefferson Scientists Identify Gene Defect Leading to Abnormal Skin Development and Cancer
(Published 10-2-2005) Researchers at Jefferson Medical College and at the Wadsworth Center in New York have identified a gene defect in mice resulting in a range of abnormalities, from cyclical hair loss and skin cancer to severe problems in normal skin development. The work may lead to improved treatments for skin injuries, including burns, and might have implications for diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, as well as certain cancers.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Offers Free Skin Cancer Screening
(Published 4-18-2005) Summer is coming and before that happens, the skin experts at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital recommend that you have your skin checked for moles or irritations.

Jefferson Scientists Encouraged by Early Trial Results of Next-Generation Vaccine for Melanoma
(Published 6-7-2004) A vaccine for advanced melanoma created from a patient’s own tumor cells has shown some early signs of causing immune responses in recipients.

Jefferson Researchers Find Immune Response and Dosing Keys to Vaccine’s Success Against Melanoma
(Published 2-12-2004) How well a patient’s immune system reacts to his own cancer cells and the schedule by which the vaccine is given are two key factors in the success of a custom-made vaccine created from the cancer cells of patients with malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer and fastest growing cancer in the United States.