Skin cancer awareness month doesn't arrive until May, but Olay and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery have already chosen their spokesperson for the 2007 Skin Cancer Takes Friends campaign.

Emmy-nominated Desperate Housewives actress Marcia Cross will kick off a nationwide free skin cancer screening and education initiative to alert Americans about the importance of early detection and prevention in the fight against a disease that has affected her personally.

"I'm proud to be part of a cause that is near and dear to my heart," says Cross. "Having had two family members suffer from melanoma, I've come to understand the importance of skin cancer detection and prevention. Knowing what I know about the dangers of sun exposure, I take extra care to protect myself with a large hat, sunglasses, daily UV protection, and of course, an annual screening."

Cross has become an partner in the crusade against skin cancer so she can encourage people to protect not only themselves but their family members and friends too.

Beginning on April 1, log onto skincancertakesfriends.org to find a dermatologist offering free screenings in your area. Take a friend with you to your screening during the months of May, June, and July and each of you will pay not a penny.

Many people don't know just how dangerous skin cancer can be. Yet it's the most common form of cancer in the United States and the incidence of melanoma -- the deadliest form of the disease -- is rising faster than any other cancer. Right now, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetimes. And every 67 minutes, someone dies of melanoma.

Screening is a must for everyone -- regardless of skin color, ethnicity, age, or geography. So mark your calendar for April 1 if you'd like a free screening. If money is not an issue, make an appointment today.

A mom of a daughter who has died of a cancer related illness has expressed on her blog how angry she is after seeing the broadcast on the news about cancer death rates declining....I think these are valid points that need to be addressed.

This week has been kind of emotional for me. I'm not going to spend a lot of time writing about me, because I am kind of angry right now. Yesterday, as I was watching the news while getting ready for work, there was a spot that they were talking about how excited they were that deaths from cancer showed a tremendous decrease last year. I agree, it is good news - however, the only cancers they talked about and showed the figures for were ADULT cancers (breast cancer, colon cancer, prostrate cancer, etc). Where are the numbers on childhood cancers? And - until the number is 0, I see no reason to get really excited.

According to the Lance Armstrong Foundation - With every second of 2006 two Americans were diagnosed with cancer and one died. Think about that! That is like re-living the horror of 9/11 every two days for the entire year. As a nation we have become too complacent about this disease (last year, for the first time in 35 years, governmental funding for cancer decreased) and that can no longer be tolerated.

After spending hours on the computer doing some research - I found this:

Leukemia, which is the most common childhood cancer, INCREASED by more than15% over the past 20 years. Most of the increase in leukemia rates in the past 20 years has been in a kind of cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL. A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health reported an association between household chemicals and ALL. In the study, the researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the University of Minnesota found children were more likely to develop ALL if they lived in households where family hobbies involved the use of solvents (such as refinishing furniture, or building models). They were also more likely to develop ALL if more than 4 rooms in the house had been painted while their mothers were pregnant. According to the Children's Cancer Group Epidemiology Program, a network of pediatric epidemiologists, children are 5 to 6 times more likely to develop leukemia and brain cancer if their families use pesticides at home.

It is difficult to find current information and statistics on childhood cancers. And, I guess one of my questions is, where does Courtney fit in these statistics. Did she fit in the "cured" survival rate because she was considered cancer free for over 5 years? Is her death considered in the cancer death statistic for 2006 - the cause of death was not cancer, but necrotizing faciitis - however, she would not have contracted this deadly bacteria or been immune compromised if not for cancer.

I guess my point is - where are the priorities of our health care leaders and our nation. How can we pay someone $250 million dollars to come to the US and play soccer (Dave Beckham) , when there is such a tremendous need for not only medical research, but children without insurance that are being denied medical treatment (transplants) because they don't have the money. How many children have to die? What is it going to take?

I have been following about 12 online journals written by mothers of cancer patients. I began reading the journals while in the hospital with Courtney - it was what filled the long nights of no sleep. It breaks my heart to tell you that 5 of those children have now passed away and 2 more are home on hospice. I have written before about how mothers of children with cancer are members of a club that we never wanted to join. I now find myself in a new club - mothers who have lost a child to cancer. How big does this club have to get before something more is done? How many broken hearts? How many shattered families?

I have been trying to get through the paperwork to get Courtney's Angel Foundation off the ground - however, it is extremely difficult without the aid of a lawyer. I have not given up - it is just going to take some time and money to get things going. I appreciate all of you who have written to let me know that you want to be part of it and so I ask for you to continue to bear with me. I am still dreaming BIG - I am determined to do it for Court -I am determined to do it for all of the children who are spending their days in the hospital instead of living the life that they deserve.

As complied by Forbe's HealthDay, half of the top ten health news of 2006 feature issues of interest to cancer patients and the cancer community in regard to cancer research, treatment and prevention. The top health story involves the concern over cost of medical care among those with health insurance and the continually growing numbers of uninsured. A recent study shows that one in six, or 50 million people, are struggling to afford medical treatment as they now spend more than ten percent of their income on medical expenses.

After much controversy regarding ethics and morality, this year saw the approval of the first cervical cancer vaccine. The federal government recommends that girls as young as nine-years-old be given the vaccine. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) re-approved the use of silicone breast implants. Although banned in 1992 because of concerns that silicone leakage might be linked to cancer, silicone implants were still offered to women undergoing breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. Supposedly the implants are now safe for all women. Some consumer advocacy groups still strongly disapprove of the FDA decision.

Another controversial issue being debated based on ethics and morality is stem cell research. According to Forbes, the majority of Americans are in favor of stem cell research and the promise it holds in the cure of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and many other diseases.

Lastly, scandals swept throught the research community as fake research and researchers were exposed, as was conflict of interest over questionable financial ties in the research community.

Other health news stories that made Forbe's HealthDay top ten list included: Tainted-Food Scares Rattle Public; Drug-Eluting Stents May Stay; 'Morning-After' Pill Goes OTC; Antidepressants' Link to Suicide Debated; and More Progress Against Alzheimer's Disease. You can read the Forbe's top ten list in its entirety here.

Carbohydrate consumption of Americans has increased over the years and so has the incidence of esophageal cancer. Esophageal adenocarcinoma rose from 2,500 cases per year back in 1973 to nearly 15,000 cases per year in 2001.

The study reported by Vijay S. Khiani M.D., of Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, was presented at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting. The investigators found an association between the rising incidence of esophageal cancer in the United States and the increase in U.S. per-capita carbohydrate consumption over the past three decades.

Although the data could not prove a causal link, Dr Khiani noted that a carbohydrate-heavy diet can lead to obesity, which in turn can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This disease has been linked to a greater likelihood for developing Barrett's esophagus, a precursor to lower-esophageal cancer.

Dr. Khiani stressed that the study does not support total carbohydrate avoidance, a strategy promoted by some fad diets. The investigators concluded, "This ecological study provides evidence for the hypothesis that excess carbohydrate intake in the U.S. population may partially account for the increased trend of incidence rates of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. It is possible that obesity resulting from excess carbohydrate intake many be an intermediate link".

I ran into a neighbor the other day at the grocery store. She has breast cancer, has just finished her final chemotherapy treatment, and proudly displays her bald head as she enthusiastically takes on life. I introduced her to my husband, we all chatted, and then we parted ways. And soon after, my husband asked me if she is the neighbor whose husband we spoke with just recently about his wife's breast cancer journey. I told him this was a different woman -- another neighbor with breast cancer. Including me, that makes three of us with breast cancer in the same community of just 200 houses. And this shocked my husband -- that there are three of us in the same neighborhood with breast cancer. But I told him this really is not surprising, that it's probably not all that uncommon. And I told him there are probably more women with breast cancer residing in the houses on the streets that surround us. We just don't know them all.

I've heard many times that most people are personally touched by breast cancer in some way. It might be each of us with the diagnosis. Or it may be a family member. Or a friend. Or a co-worker. Or a neighbor. Because incidences of breast cancer have increased over the years, and in the United States, the rate of new cases has been increasing more than one percent per year since the 1940s. In the 1980s, the rate of new cases rose markedly -- perhaps due to increased and better screening -- and only recently have cases been leveling off. It is estimated that just over 200,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women in 2006.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. And that is startling. Which is why it is not so startling to me that there are three of us in my neighborhood with this common disease -- the second-leading cause of cancer death for women, after lung cancer.