Those who drink one or two cups of tea daily may have a lower risk of developing two types of skin cancer by 20 to 30 percent. In a study conducted on nearly 2,200 adults, researchers found that tea drinkers had a lower risk of developing squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, the two most common forms of skin cancer.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Tea drinking did not show any effect on the worst skin cancer, melanoma. Still, the findings support the theory that tea antioxidants may limit the damage UV radiation inflicts on the skin, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Judy R. Rees of Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The researchers do warn that it is not okay to bake in the sun and then have a cup of tea afterwards.

The study did not mention what specific types of teas might be more beneficial than others.

If you find a new lump or spot on your skin, a sore that doesn't heal,or a change in a mole's appearance, it could be a sign of skin cancer.

• Basal cell skin cancer can look like a smooth, shiny, pale or waxy lump. It can be a lump that bleeds or develops a crust. Though this form of skin cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body it can destroy nearby tissues.
• Squamous cell skin cancer can also look like a smooth, shiny, pale or waxy lump like basal cell. This form of skin cancer also rarely spreads to other parts of the body but it too can destroy nearby tissues.
• Melanoma skin cancer is the deadliest form and needs to be caught early. What to look for is asymmetry -- if one half of the mole looks different than the other half. If it has odd shaped borders and the color is not uniform throughout. Take a look at those moles and if you have any concerns seek out a dermatologist.

UVB radiation is thought to be the most dangerous light in the solar spectrum. Scientists think that UVB light causes most of the non-melanoma skin cancers.

When you're exposed to UVB radiation for a period of time, it inflames the skin and causes sunburn. Squamous cell carcinoma is diagnosed in about 250,000 people each year in the United States. The cancer can arise from the inflammation of the skin by possible DNA damage.

Even though the scientist's discovery was only so far seen in mice, the researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center say that a topical compound made of black raspberries significantly slows the growth of Squamous cell skin cancer.

The scientists think that the cancer fighting effects are a result of powerful antioxidants called anthacyanins that give the fruit its rich, dark color. The researchers said "In our experiments, the black raspberry treatment significantly reduced inflammatory damage and reduced tumor growth and spread".

In the future the researchers hope to have a topical treatment for humans that will alleviate pain and also protect against sun damage.

Battling cancer can at times feel like slowly paddling upstream against currents that are both forceful and unforgiving. Sometimes reprieve comes only when we find others in the same boat, others submerged in their own rough waters, others who truly know what it's like to navigate a dreadful disease.

I am lucky -- in an odd sort of cancer way -- because I had breast cancer. Many women have breast cancer. And while this really is a horrible fact, it makes for a great sea of support. At times when I felt I was drowning in cancer, I reached for my lifeguards -- the women who paddled before me, the women paddling alongside me -- and they coached me, guided me, saved me from one the worst side effects of cancer. Isolation.

I have rarely felt isolated in my cancer journey and as a result, I have not thought much about this lonely cancer consequence. But I am thinking about it now -- thanks to a reader who has courageously shared her story with me, in hopes of locating someone in her same boat, in hopes of creating connections with other survivors who share the challenges of her disease.

Tanya has anal cancer. She was diagnosed one year ago -- during a routine colonoscopy -- with squamous cell carcinoma in-situ in her anal canal, on the wall between the anus and vagina. Previous abdominal discomfort, much like dull menstrual pain, preceded Tanya's screening but she was sure it was due to menopause. She was 53 at the time.

But it wasn't menopause. It was cancer. And it was devastating for Tanya who was spared radical surgery in exchange for a combination of radiation and a chemotherapy called the Nigro Protocol. First came a mitomycin push followed by four to five days of 5-Fluorouracil. Radiation came next -- for six weeks -- and then Tanya endured another round of the same chemotherapy regimen.

"The treatment was brutal," Tanya says. "By the end of the sixth week, I was in a lot of pain, especially since the affected area had a lot of traffic and could not exactly be decommissioned and allowed to heal."

Although she was told by her oncologist she tolerated her treatment well, Tanya says it was pure hell.

Tanya's treatment ended in March and an August biopsy revealed she is doing just fine. Her cancer appears to be gone. What is not gone, however, is the discomfort that still plagues her -- both physically and emotionally. And while the physical scars are simply terrible -- she feels pain during urination and bowel movements and is currently unable to have intercourse with her knight-in-shining-armor husband -- the emotional isolation is overwhelming distressing.

"I have not shared this experience with too many people since I feel awkward discussing that part of my anatomy and because the condition is so uncommon," Tanya says. "I would, however, be most grateful to discuss any or all of this with someone who has been through the same experience."

If you have been in Tanya's same cancer boat, have paddled similar waters, or know someone with whom she might connect, please consider contacting this brave survivor at sultana@cyberight.net.

In 2006, 174,470 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States. About 92,700 men and 81,770 women will develop the disease -- the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women.

An estimated 162,460 men and women will die of lung cancer this year, accounting for 28 percent of all cancer deaths and taking more lives than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. While most people diagnosed with lung cancer will die within the first two years of diagnosis -- this has not changed in 10 years -- some people are cured. There are currently about 333,000 long-term survivors.

Smoking is the biggest risk factor for lung cancer -- and 90 percent of all lung cancer cases are related to smoking. But family history is a risk factor too and can nearly double the risk of developing the deadly disease.

A study published in the October issue of Chest found by studying a population of Japanese adults that people with a first-degree relative -- mother, father, or sibling -- who had lung cancer had a 95 percent higher risk of contracting the disease. Those who smoked had the greatest risk, but those who did not smoke were still at risk. And women were more at risk than men. The type of lung cancer most associated with family history is squamous cell carcinoma.

The results of this study do not yet translate into recommended guidelines for screening. But those with a family history of lung cancer should make their physicians aware of their history. And perhaps one day people with family history will be identified as high-risk for lung cancer and will be included in further studies. In the meantime, these individuals should avoid all contact with all inhaled and second-hand smoke and should protect their children from all forms of tobacco smoke.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 180,000 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year. About 170,000 die from the disease every year. It's the second leading cause of death for men and the third leading cause of death for women.

In the August issue of Archives of Dermatology there is a report on research done showing three ways to remove precancerous skin growths. Acid skin peel, laser resurfacing and chemotherapy cream all removed precancerous growths. What is also really exciting is the fact that these procedures can also slow the development of new skin cancers.

Physicians usually will burn off the growths with liquid nitrogen but this study shows that there are other ways that work just as well. Larger studies need to be done to confirm their findings.

The study showed that all the treatments worked, reducing the number of precancerous skin growths by 83 percent for the chemo cream, 89 percent for the skin peel and 92 percent for the laser treatment.

In the April issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, the American Academy of Dermatology, AAD, warns of a pending skin cancer epidemic. Mayo Clinic researchers have found that the more common type of skin cancer, basal cell, tripled between 1976 and 2003, while the rate of squamous cell cancers increased four-fold for women under 40 years of age. Researchers believe this is the result of tanning bed use. According to the researchers, "Two types of ultraviolet light are linked to skin cancers. UVA, which penetrates deeper into the skin and weakens its immune defenses, is more responsible for melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer. UVB exposure causes sunburn, as well as squamous and basal cell skin cancers. Tanning beds emit UVA. Intense UVA exposure poses a greater risk of melanoma skin cancer than does spending long hours in the sun."

To be sun safe, the American Academy of Dermatology advises against the use of tanning beds. For the look of a tan, they suggest using a sunless self-tanning product. As for maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D -- do so with a supplement.

During Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week, beginning April 17, Major League Baseball, MLB, and Brett Butler will join the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation, YBF, to raise awareness about the importance of early detection in head and neck cancers by offering free screenings.

"I'm living proof that early diagnosis and treatment can improve your chances of surviving oral, head and neck cancer," said Butler, throat cancer survivor. "That's why I'm encouraging everyone who is at risk for this potentially deadly disease, especially tobacco and alcohol users, to take advantage of the free screenings throughout the country on April 21. You owe it to your family and loved ones to get yourself checked."

Sponsored by the YBF, you can find information at the MLB website regarding oral, head and neck cancer; a directory of the participating sites throughout the U.S. that will offer free screenings on April 21 and a videotaped message from Butler.

Lou Gehrig Award winner, Butler started his major league baseball career with the Atlanta Braves, and played for the Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. The doctors found his cancer while performing a tonsillectomy. Diagnosed with squamous cell cancer of the tonsil, Butler credits his early diagnosis and treatment with saving his life.

According to the YBF, twenty years ago, Yul Brynner, dying from lung cancer, made a television commercial that said, "Now that I'm gone, I tell you: Don't smoke, whatever you do, just don't smoke."  The public service announcement remains one of the most memorable anti-smoking statements ever made.