Case study Sue loved the outdoors. She would often lie with her friends in the sun to work on that "healthy" tan, even t
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:45 am
Case study
Sue loved the outdoors. She would often lie with her friends in
the sun to work on that "healthy" tan, even though she had red hair
and fair skin that freckled. She would get sunburned every so
often, but thought it was no big deal. She used tanning beds once
in a while, mainly just before summer because she wanted to look
better in a bathing suit. Sue swam frequently with her friends, and
also gave summer swimming lessons in an outdoor pool. As she got
older, parts of Sue's skin began to take on a somewhat leathery
appearance, but she figured that that was part of the normal aging
process. She went to the dermatologist regularly, and from time to
time he would remove some pre-cancerous cells, but always said that
they were nothing to worry about. When the dermatologist found
malignant melanoma on her leg, Sue was shocked; she had never
considered herself particularly at risk for skin cancer. She had no
idea how it might change her life.
Sunlight is an important source of Vitamin D, and we need daily
exposure to sunlight for mental health and other reasons. We
constantly expose our skin — the largest organ of the human body —
to sunlight, a source of UV radiation. UV radiation has cumulative
effects, which means that each exposure to sunlight adds to
previous exposure.
A. Why is this risk factor so often ignored?
B. What factors motivate or hinder the kinds of behavior changes
necessary to minimize the risk of cancer?
C. What warning signs can people look for?
Your Conclusions: (address each question)
1- What should Sue have been doing to minimize her risk for cancer?
Given her lifestyle, what precautions should she have taken?
2- What do you think of artificial tanning — is it safer or less
safe than time spent in the sun?
3- What about new "self-tanning" products? How can people expect to
be at risk for skin cancer, and what should they expect of their
dermatologists?
4- In what ways can people's lives be disrupted by chemotherapy or
radiation treatments?
Sue loved the outdoors. She would often lie with her friends in
the sun to work on that "healthy" tan, even though she had red hair
and fair skin that freckled. She would get sunburned every so
often, but thought it was no big deal. She used tanning beds once
in a while, mainly just before summer because she wanted to look
better in a bathing suit. Sue swam frequently with her friends, and
also gave summer swimming lessons in an outdoor pool. As she got
older, parts of Sue's skin began to take on a somewhat leathery
appearance, but she figured that that was part of the normal aging
process. She went to the dermatologist regularly, and from time to
time he would remove some pre-cancerous cells, but always said that
they were nothing to worry about. When the dermatologist found
malignant melanoma on her leg, Sue was shocked; she had never
considered herself particularly at risk for skin cancer. She had no
idea how it might change her life.
Sunlight is an important source of Vitamin D, and we need daily
exposure to sunlight for mental health and other reasons. We
constantly expose our skin — the largest organ of the human body —
to sunlight, a source of UV radiation. UV radiation has cumulative
effects, which means that each exposure to sunlight adds to
previous exposure.
A. Why is this risk factor so often ignored?
B. What factors motivate or hinder the kinds of behavior changes
necessary to minimize the risk of cancer?
C. What warning signs can people look for?
Your Conclusions: (address each question)
1- What should Sue have been doing to minimize her risk for cancer?
Given her lifestyle, what precautions should she have taken?
2- What do you think of artificial tanning — is it safer or less
safe than time spent in the sun?
3- What about new "self-tanning" products? How can people expect to
be at risk for skin cancer, and what should they expect of their
dermatologists?
4- In what ways can people's lives be disrupted by chemotherapy or
radiation treatments?