Raising Awareness About the Sun's Dangers
- The State of Florida has declared Friday, August 30th “Jimmy Buffett Day” in honor of the late tropical tunes rocker known for hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” The singer-songwriter died from a rare and aggressive type of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma on September 1, 2023 at 76 years old.
- Per Buffett’s last wishes, the party will continue for his dedicated fans who will be celebrating in Key West this Labor Day Weekend with walking parades, boat parades, a shrimp boil, themed banners and of course, a lot of music, “Five O’ Clock Somewhere” and tropical attire worn by the community of boat life-enthusiasts.
- Though Buffett appeared to have no regrets from his very full and fun life, he did spend a lot of time on boats and out in the sun. His disease has helped raise awareness on the dangers of the sun and how important it is to safely enjoy an outdoor lifestyle by covering up with high-SPF sunscreen, hats, scarves and taking a lot of breaks from the sun. Before you reach for a margarita, schedule your skin check at the dermatologist.
But the party continues for his dedicated fans, with the Sunshine State’s transportation department unveiling a memorial highway in his honor and even releasing a tribute “Margaritaville” license plate. Key West is where most of the action lies, with a chunk of the A1A highway by the most famous Florida Key getting a new name. Buffett buffs will know that A1A is the name of Buffet’s 1974 album.
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The full schedule of dozens of activities at the event, officially titled “1st Annual Just a Few Friends Key West – Favorite Son Celebration” can be found here.
Buffett’s Last Wishes — ‘Keep the Party Going’
Though Jimmy Buffett’s name is synonymous with Florida because of the time he spent there and his boat party-themed lifestyle, Buffett was actually born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and died surrounded by loved ones at his home in Sag Harbor, New York.
During his nearly five-decade career, he released a whopping 56 albums and toured for 40 years straight.
In the final hours of Buffett’s celebrated life, he was visited by his guitarist Mac McAnally, a singer-songwriter who was part of Buffett’s Coral Reefer band.
McAnally shared his pal’s words and wishes during an interview with Fox News Digital, telling the news outlet, “I saw him 24 hours before he was gone and he was smiling wider than his head and saying, ‘What a hell of a ride, keep it going, keep the party going,’ and it’s our intention to do that.”
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Buffett is survived by his wife, Jane Buffett, and his daughters Savannah Jane, Sarah Delaney and his son, Cameron Marley, along with his grandson Marley Ray and “devoted pack of dogs,” according to his obituary listed on his estate’s official website.
Understanding Jimmy Buffett’s Skin Cancer: Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Though it appears that Jimmy Buffett had no regrets from his very full and seemingly very fun life, he did spend a lot of time on boats and out in the sun. His disease has helped raise awareness on the dangers of the sun and how important it is to safely enjoy an outdoor lifestyle by covering up with high-SPF sunscreen, hats, scarves and taking a lot of breaks from the sun.
WATCH: How to perform a skin check using the ABCDE method
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), Buffett’s type of cancer, is also known as neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. It is an aggressive type of skin cancer that is rare but increasing in occurrence. Like many skin cancers, risk for getting this disease involves sun exposure.
RELATED: What You Need to Know About Merkel Cell Carcinoma
This cancer’s name comes from the fact it originates from Merkel cells, which are found in the top layer of the skin. These cells are mainly involved with our sense of light touch, but have other functions. When these cells become cancerous, we get what is known as Merkel cell carcinoma.
Like many forms of cancer, MCC shows itself as a growth or mass on the skin – often appearing as a painless, firm, shiny lump that is red, purple or skin-colored. While it can appear anywhere on the body, it most commonly forms on sun-exposed areas like the face, neck, arms, and legs.
MCC is a critically serious condition due to its tendency to metastasize or spread, to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body. This is why early diagnosis and treatment are so vital.
Treatment Advances for Merkel Cell Carcinoma
For many years, chemotherapy was the only option available as a treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma. This aggressive form of skin cancer usually appears as a single, painless, flesh-colored, or bluish-red nodule, often on your face, head, neck, and arms (skin exposed to sunlight). Fortunately, other treatment options exist for metastatic and advanced forms of the disease.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the immunotherapy drug retifanlimab-dlwr (brand name Zynyz) for metastatic or recurrent locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma.
Zynyz is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that explicitly targets proteins found on immune or cancer cells and prevents them from binding together.
The approval was based on the results of a study called PODIUM-201 (NCT03599713), an open-label, multiregional, single-arm study evaluating 65 patients with metastatic or recurrent locally advanced MCC who had not received prior systemic therapy for advanced disease.
“More than a third of patients with MCC present with regional or distant metastases, which are associated with high rates of mortality,” Dr. Shailender Bhatia said in a press release.
Dr. Bhatia is the study’s principal author and director of the Melanoma and Renal Cancer Team at Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
“The approval of Zynyz offers healthcare providers another first-line treatment option against MCC that can result in durable responses in patients with metastatic disease,” Dr. Bhatia added.
How Often Should I Reapply Sunscreen?
If you’re looking forward to spending time outside this holiday weekend through the end of summer, remember to apply broad-spectrum sunscreen to your face, ears, back of hands, scalp, tops of feet, and neck daily, including cloudy days. UVA rays can also penetrate glass and windows, so there are times when sun protection is needed even indoors. SPF lip balm is recommended to protect your lips from harmful sun rays and skin cancer on or in your mouth.
WATCH: Learning About Skin Cancer Risk
“Apply sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes prior to going outdoors and reapply every two hours and after swimming or sweating,” advises Dr. Catherine Pisano, who works in Cutaneous Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The average adult should use one ounce of sunscreen, roughly the size of a shot glass, to cover the entire body. It is also recommended to avoid sun exposure during peak hours, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.
- What type of skin cancer do I have?
- What treatment options exist for my type of melanoma?
- Will insurance cover this treatment?
- Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense for me?
- What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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