Beware a skin condition that may turn into cancer — but the fix can make your skin look like raw hamburger meat

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Jun 03, 2026 · 796 words · By McKenzie Beard

Medical Treatment Side Effects Public Health Trends Skin Cancer Prevention

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about Medical Treatment Side Effects

Beware a skin condition that may turn into cancer — but the fix can make your skin look like raw hamburger meat See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Beware a skin condition that may turn into cancer — but the fix can make your skin look like raw hamburger meat See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleIt’s not exactly a beauty treatment — but it could save your skin.

Common ground

Nationwide, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and a staggering 9,500 people are diagnosed every single day in the US.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Medical Treatment Side Effects story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Research suggests that about 10% of untreated cases eventually progress to squamous cell carcinoma?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/03/health/the-precancer-treatment-that-can-leave-skin…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 80% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified By Reference 4

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle

Claim 1: “Research suggests that about 10% of untreated cases eventually progress to squamous cell carcinoma”

CORROBORATED

Two independent medical sources (Sergay Dermatology and another treatment guide) specify that approximately 5-10% of untreated actinic keratoses progress to squamous cell carcinoma.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — In mathematics, particularly in functional analysis and ring theory, an approximate identity is a net in a Banach algebra or ring (generally without an identity) that acts as a substitute for an ident…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximate_identity

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — An approximation is anything that is intentionally similar but not exactly equal to something else.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximation

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — In computational learning theory, probably approximately correct (PAC) learning is a framework for mathematical analysis of machine learning. It was proposed in 1984 by Leslie Valiant. In this framewo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probably_approximately_correct…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 2: “Nationwide, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources, including the American Academy of Dermatology and other health-related sites, confirm that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — At least one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.3 ... Overall, one in 29 white men and one in 40 white women will develop melanoma in ...
https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-canc…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 2, 2026 ... ... one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. (4) ... to examine their own skin or go to a dermatologist for skin examination.
https://www.aad.org/media/stats-skin-cancer

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Apr 28, 2026 ... Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Melanoma, basal cell, squamous cell, and Merkel ...
https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/posts/skin-cancer-is-a-l…

check_circle

Claim 3: “The condition, known as actinic keratosis, develops after years of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or tanning beds.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources confirm that actinic keratosis is caused by long-term exposure to UV rays from the sun.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Oct 6, 2025 ... Actinic keratosis causes rough, scaly skin. Prolonged sun damage causes it. It can lead to squamous cell carcinoma without treatment.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14148-actinic…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 11, 2026 ... An actinic keratosis is caused by long-term, excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. An actinic keratosis is not cancer, but if left ...
https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/what-is-an-actinic-ker…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Actinic keratosis (AK) is considered a chronic skin disease mostly caused by long-term exposure to UV radiation and other risk factors such as ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11566825/

verified

Claim 4: “The studies show a 60% to 70% reduction in precancerous lesions with one treatment.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'topical' and general Wikipedia entries on topical medications, but contains no data regarding the 60-70% reduction rate of lesions.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Topical antifungal drugs are used to treat fungal infections on the skin, scalp, nails, vagina or inside the mouth. These medications come as creams, gels, lotions, ointments, powders, shampoos, tinct…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topical_antifungal

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often, topical medications are applied to the skin or mucous membranes, via creams, foams, gels, loti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topical_medication

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Topical steroids are the topical forms of corticosteroids. Topical steroids are the most commonly prescribed topical medications for the treatment of rash and eczema. Topical steroids have anti-inflam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topical_steroid

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 5: “a staggering 9,500 people are diagnosed every single day in the US”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding YouTube, Spotify, and general Wikipedia entries about the US, with no mention of skin cancer diagnosis rates.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal started in 2009 when representatives of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores received a large number of clay bullae and tablets originating in the ancient Near East.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby_smuggling_scandal

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States), five major territories, and minor islands. Bot…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 6: “Rates are increasing across the board, including for melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

verified

Claim 7: “According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, rates of the disease [squamous cell carcinoma] have surged by more than 200% over the past three decades.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence discusses squamous cell carcinoma generally or in other organs (vagina), but does not provide the specific statistic of a 200% surge over three decades attributed to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial (mesothelial…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epithelium

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dif…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esophageal_cancer

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips (oral cancer), voice box (l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_and_neck_cancer

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 8: “Today, roughly 1.8 million Americans are diagnosed each year — about 205 every hour.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this specific claim.

check_circle

Claim 9: “The most common cream that we prescribe for this is called 5-fluorouracil, which is a topical chemotherapy cream”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Mayo Clinic and PMC, confirm that 5-fluorouracil is a topical chemotherapy cream used to treat actinic keratosis.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Topical 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for the treatment of widespread multiple AK lesions has cure rates of more than 90 percent. The associated skin irritation, ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2989823/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 1, 2026 ... Fluorouracil topical is used to treat actinic or solar keratoses and a type of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/fluorouracil-to…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Areas of significant sun damage with multiple AKs can be effectively treated with topical 5-fluorouracil (most commonly as cream).
https://medicinetoday.com.au/mt/supplements/regular-series/a…

verified

Claim 10: “squamous cell carcinoma, the nation’s second most common type of skin cancer”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and other medical sources explicitly state that squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer with nearly a half a million new cases diagnosed annually according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. This form of skin cancer …
https://artofskinmd.com/dermatologic/skin-cancer/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The signs and symptoms of skin cancer an include new skin lesions, a change in the shape, color, texture, or elevation of an existing mole, and much more.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/skin-cancer-symptoms-3010832

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Squamous-cell skin cancer is the second most common skin cancer, accounting for over 1 million cases in the United States each year.[5].basaloid squamous-cell carcinoma is mostly found in or near the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squamous-cell_carcinoma

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.