“It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life,” Bekele told Time. At age 15, Heman Bekele was recently named Kid of the Year by Time Magazine for creating a soap that could meaningfully contribute to the treatment of skin cancer.
A teen scientist from Annandale, Virginia, Heman is a ninth grader who won the prestigious award from 3M and Discovery Education, considered one of the country’s top middle school science competitions. Given this potential breakthrough in medicine, this MedDigest edition delves into skin cancer to provide a broader context to this looming innovation.
In This Article: (7 min read⏱️)
🆕 Heman Bekele’s Soap & How It Works
🧑 Skin Cancer Basic Facts & Risk Factors
🩹 How Skin Cancer is Treated
🧑⚕️ How to Prevent Skin Cancer
Heman Bekele: Time Magazine Kid of the Year, 2024
What is Bekele’s Soap?
Bekele’s Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS) is formulated with active ingredients like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and tretinoin. These ingredients are known for their ability to exfoliate the skin, removing dead skin cells and promoting renewal. Tretinoin, a vitamin A derivative, helps regulate skin cell growth and differentiation.
How Does Bekele’s Soap Work?
The soap contains compounds that activate the skin’s own immune response. Specifically, it reactivates dendritic cells (a type of immune cells found in the skin that play a key role in recognizing harmful invaders like cancer cells). In doing so, the soap encourages the skin to defend itself against cancer, rather than directly attacking the cancer cells itself. This delivery system ensures that the active ingredients remain on the skin after washing, allowing for sustained therapeutic effects.
Current Status of the Soap
Bekele’s soap is still in the testing phase and has not yet undergone clinical trials in humans. As a result, comprehensive data on its safety and side effects is not yet available. Bekele is working with scientists to refine the formulation and is conducting laboratory tests, including studies on mice, to assess its safety and effectiveness.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide.
Skin Cancer Basic Facts
📌Skin cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, with more than 1.5 million new cases estimated in 2022, according to the WHO.
📌It’s also one of the most preventable cancers and highly treatable when found early.
📌The main types of skin cancer are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous carcinoma are the two most common types of skin cancer.
📌Melanoma is the third most common type of skin cancer. It causes the most deaths because of its tendency to spread to other parts of the body, including vital organs like the brain and liver.
📌The most preventable cause of skin cancer is overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, either from the sun or from artificial sources like tanning beds.
Excess UV light exposure is a major risk factor.
Who is at Risk of Developing Skin Cancer?
Excess exposure to UV radiation from sunlight or use of indoor tanning increases risk for all skin cancer types, as does a personal history of the disease.
Sunburns during childhood or adolescence can increase the odds of developing melanoma later in life.
Skin cancer rates are higher in women than in men before age 50, but are higher in men after age 50, which may be related to differences in recreation and work-related UV exposure.
Women younger than 30 are six times more likely to develop melanoma if they tan indoors.
White populations have higher rates of melanoma compared to other races. That said, skin cancer can affect anyone, regardless of skin color.
Skin cancer in patients with darker skin tones is often diagnosed in its later stages, when it’s more difficult to treat.
Family history of skin cancer and weakened immune system also increase risk of skin cancer.
Early detection of skin cancer is crucial.
Is Skin Cancer Curable?
Yes, skin cancer is generally curable, particularly when detected early and treated appropriately. The prognosis and treatment options depend on the type and stage of the cancer.
The prognosis for BCC, the most common skin cancer, is typically excellent due to its slow growth and low metastatic potential.
Early detection is crucial in determining the outcome of treatment of skin cancer.
Treatment options depend on the type & stage of the cancer.
How is Skin Cancer Treated?
The treatment options for skin cancer vary depending on the type and stage of the cancer. They include surgical, non-surgical, and supportive care approaches.
One or more of the following surgical procedures may be used to treat basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or actinic keratosis:
Simple excision: The tumor, along with some of the normal tissue around it, is cut from the skin.
Mohs micrographic surgery: The tumor is cut from the skin in thin layers. During the procedure, the edges of the tumor and each layer of tumor removed are viewed through a microscope to check for cancer cells. Layers continue to be removed until no more cancer cells are seen.
Shave excision: The abnormal area is shaved off the surface of the skin with a small blade.
Curettage and electrodesiccation: The tumor is cut from the skin with a curette (a sharp, spoon-shaped tool). A needle-shaped electrode is then used to treat the area with an electric current that stops the bleeding and destroys cancer cells that remain around the edge of the wound.
Cryosurgery: A treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue, such as carcinoma in situ. This type of treatment is also called cryotherapy. An instrument with a nozzle is used to spray liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue.
Simple excision, Mohs micrographic surgery, curettage and electrodesiccation, and cryosurgery are used to treat basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
Simple excision, shave excision, curettage and desiccation, dermabrasion, and laser surgery are used to treat actinic keratosis.
Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a surface lesion such as a tumor.
Dermabrasion is the removal of the top layer of skin using a rotating wheel or small particles to rub away skin cells.
Chemotherapy for basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, and actinic keratosis is usually topical (applied to the skin in a cream or lotion). Topical fluorouracil (5-FU) is used to treat basal cell carcinoma.
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Interferon (by injection) may be used to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Topical imiquimod therapy is an immune response modifier that may be used to treat some basal cell carcinomas and is applied to the skin as a cream.
BCC & SCC are highly treatable if detected early.
What are the Survival and Death Rates?
Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the two most common forms of skin cancer, are highly treatable if detected early and treated properly.
The vast majority of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma. The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 94%. This decreases to 35% when melanoma spreads to distant lymph nodes and other organs.
Prevention is the most important measure.
How to Prevent Skin Cancer
The American Academy of Dermatology encourages everyone to stay out of indoor tanning beds and protect their skin outdoors by seeking shade and wearing protective clothing. These include wearing a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection.
Applying a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all skin not covered by clothing is also crucial as a preventive measure.
If you notice any spots on your skin that are different from the others, or anything changing, itching or bleeding, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that you make an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist.
The American Academy of Dermatology also encourages everyone to perform regular skin self-exams to check for signs of skin cancer.
