Book Launch Today

Plus colon cancer and warnings about acne medication and lidocaine

Doctoring on Everest, 1988. Photo credit: Joseph Blackburn

Join me to celebrate today’s launch of Tap Dancing on Everest, A Young Doctor’s Unlikely Adventure. This book will reach some of your hands very soon. That thought is both exciting and scary. A memoir must be honest and personal - is often revealing - and makes the author feel vulnerable. So, why do it?

I did it because my story was burning to be told. I wrote and wrote and wrote without knowing about the vulnerability required for a memoir to do what it needs to do. What I have learned from the process is that this vulnerability is powerful. It leads to a connection between the author and the reader. Reading the advanced-reader reviews makes me understand why it is worth the sweat and tears and vulnerability necessary to bring a book into the world.

MEDICINE

New blood test to screen for colon cancer: I found this news to be amongst the most promising this month. Any time we can diagnose cancer at an earlier stage, treatment success and survival improves.

A recent study reported that this new blood test, which detects DNA from colon cancers and polyps, found 87% of cancers present at an early stage. The false-positive rate was10%. The advantage is that this test is non-invasive and doesn’t require handling stool, as opposed to the other current screening tests available - colonoscopy and stool tests. The blood test is not yet FDA-approved or covered by insurance although it can be purchased. It’s not as good as the current marketed stool test for detecting polyps.

Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. The good news is that the death rate has fallen for people over 55 but has increased for those younger. Our younger population needs to be aware of the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer.

Colon and rectal cancers have gone from the fourth-leading cause of death for men and women younger than 50 in the 1990s to:

      • the number one cause of cancers deaths for men under 50

      • the number two for women under 50

Colorectal cancers in young people tend to be more aggressive and found at later stages

Researchers are trying to determine the cause of this increasing cancer incidence but nothing definitive has emerged

Important to know for younger people:

The recommended age for beginning screening has been lowered from age 50 to 45

Family history such as a first-degree relative who had colorectal cancer or precancerous polyps can increase risk because cancers is younger people often have a genetic mutation or component

Know the symptoms: unexplained abdominal pain, changes in stool and rectal bleeding. With symptoms your physician will perform diagnostic tests.

Know your screening options: Screening is done routinely, not as a diagnostic workup when you already have symptoms. The gold standard for people at average risk is colonoscopy every 10 years. Stool tests are done every 1 or 3 years depending on the test.

The bottom Line: Listen to your body and even if young, take colorectal symptoms seriously. The best screening test is colonoscopy followed by the stool tests but since only ~ 50% follow the guidelines to be screened the ease of this new blood test has the potential to save lives. A blood screening test may someday be part of routine annual healthcare visits.

MEDICINE

FDA warning about topical lidocaine products. On March 26^th, 2024, the FDA warned that the concentration of lidocaine in certain over-the-counter products exceeds what is allowed by federal law. These products are usually purchased for tattoo and cosmetic procedures such as microdermabrasion and laser hair removal. Specific products mentioned are:

TKTX Numb Maximum Strength Pain Reliever

NumbSkin 5% Lidocaine Numbing Cream (15 grams), NumbSkin 5% Lidocaine Numbing Cream (30 grams), and NumbSkin 10.56% Lidocaine Numbing Cream

Signature Tattoo Numbing Cream and Miracle Numb Spray

Painless Tattoo Numbing Cream and Painless Tattoo Numbing Spray

New & Improved Blue Gel, Superior Super Juice, Premium Pro Plus, Five-Star Vasocaine, and Maximum Zone 1

Ink Eeze Original B Numb Numbing Gel, Ink Eeze B Numb Numbing Spray Black Label, and Ink Eeze B Numb Numbing Foam Soap

The bottom Line: Make sure the products used by your tattoo artist or esthetician have safe levels of lidocaine.

MEDICINE

And a warning about acne medications: An independent lab, Valisure, petitioned the FDA about high levels of the cancer-causing chemical benzene in 94/99 OTC acne medications containing benzoyl peroxide in normal conditions. The highest levels – as high as 800 times the recommended limit - result from storage at high temperatures, such as in a hot car, or for prolonged periods of time such as beyond the expiration date.

Popular products such as Proactiv, Clinique, and Clearasil were cited.

The report has been contested by the manufacturers of these products, questioning the testing methods and saying the testing circumstances leading to high benzene levels are not consistent with real life.

In the past, concerns about benzene levels have also been reported for hand sanitizers, dry shampoos, and sunscreen.

The bottom Line: Dr. John Barbieri, MD, MBA, assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Advanced Acne Therapeutics Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital, advises that until we know more and hear from the FDA, keep products for a shorter time, perhaps only a month, and for those who live in a hot climate, consider storing products in the refrigerator.

MOUNTAINS

In honor of my book’s launch, here are some photographs from our 1988 Mount Everest climb up the East Face in Tibet.

MORE

It’s not too late to join any of these book launch activities by entering your order number on this webpage. The first event is tonight at 7:00 pm EST.