Sue loved the outdoors. She would often lie with her friends inthe sun to work on that “healthy” tan, even though she had red hairand fair skin that freckled. She would get sunburned every sooften, but thought it was no big deal. She used tanning beds oncein a while, mainly just before summer because she wanted to lookbetter in a bathing suit. Sue swam frequently with her friends, andalso gave summer swimming lessons in an outdoor pool. As she gotolder, parts of Sue’s skin began to take on a somewhat leatheryappearance, but she figured that that was part of the normal agingprocess. She went to the dermatologist regularly, and from time totime he would remove some pre-cancerous cells, but always said thatthey were nothing to worry about. When the dermatologist foundmalignant melanoma on her leg, Sue was shocked; she had neverconsidered herself particularly at risk for skin cancer. She had noidea how it might change her life.Sunlight is an important sourceof Vitamin D, and we need daily exposure to sunlight for mentalhealth and other reasons. We constantly expose our skin — thelargest organ of the human body — to sunlight, a source of UVradiation. UV radiation has cumulative effects, which means thateach exposure to sunlight adds to previous exposure. Why is thisrisk factor so often ignored? What factors motivate or hinder thekinds of behavior changes necessary to minimize the risk of cancer?What warning signs can people look for?
Your Conclusions:
What should Sue have been doing to minimize her risk for cancer?Given her lifestyle, what precautions should she have taken? Wouldyou have recommended changes in her lifestyle? What do you think ofartificial tanning — is it safer or less safe than time spent inthe sun? What about new “self-tanning” products? How can peopleexpect to be at risk for skin cancer, and what should they expectof their dermatologists? In what ways can people’s lives bedisrupted by chemotherapy or radiation treatments?
In your own words at least 10 sentences
