cancers – Steve Verschoor

The doctor examines the birthmarks of the patient through a magnifying glass

An engineer and an entrepreneur, Steve Verschoor has led polysilicon supplier GTSP Global since 2006. Steve Verschoor has also served in several clinical trials of skin cancer treatments. In 2014, he enrolled in his first clinical trial after he was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma. He entered a second melanoma clinical trial in 2019.

Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer caused by damaged melanocyte cells. While anyone can develop melanoma, certain factors may increase susceptibility, including skin tone, family history of skin cancer, and sun exposure.

To ensure that melanoma is diagnosed at an early stage, people with high-risk factors should perform monthly self-exams using the ABCDE (asymmetry, irregular borders, color, diameter, and evolution) criteria to monitor suspicious moles. Most dermatologists also recommended annual skin exams. During this exam, the doctor may use a dermatoscope to analyze the skin and take photos to document mole changes. Moles that exhibit signs of melanoma, including scaliness or irregular borders, may be further evaluated through a biopsy.

Steve Verschoor co-founded solar energy component manufacturer GTSP Global, Inc., in 2008. He currently serves as the Boise, Idaho-based company’s head of sales, leading its relationships with major firms in South Korea, Taiwan, China, and other key markets. Steve Verschoor is also a cancer survivor whose years-long battle with Stage 3 melanoma has led him to participate in several clinical trials.

New research on melanoma and other cancers continues to emerge. One intriguing study points to the possibility that commonly used antihistamine medications may have the ability to increase survival rates in cases of malignant melanoma. While the team at Lund University in Sweden who authored the study emphasizes that further research needs to be done, their results are encouraging.

Earlier work had shown an increase in survival rates among breast cancer patients who used antihistamines. It had also revealed why this was the case: Antihistamines block the functioning of cells that are known to weaken the body’s response to fighting tumors. Building on this information, the Swedish team looked at six antihistamines that are commonly prescribed for allergies, analyzing data from the treatment records of almost 25,000 patients.

They saw increased levels of malignant melanoma survival, especially among older adults who used one of these antihistamines, desloratadine. The use of another, loratadine, was also correlated with increased survival rates, although not to the same extent. The researchers noted that these initial results may point to promising avenues for the development of future drug therapies to treat melanoma.

Category: cancers

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Research Shows Possible Role for Antihistamines in Fighting Melanoma