Skin cancer on the rise among young adults: study
Skin cancer is on the rise among young adults, according to a US
study published yesterday that suggests indoor tanning beds and
childhood sunburns may be to blame.
Between 1970 and 2009, the rate of melanoma among women increased
eightfold and quadrupled among men, according to research by Mayo Clinic
experts who studied all medical records for a county in Minnesota over
that timespan.
However, death rates from melanoma fell during the same period,
suggesting that early interventions may be helping to save some lives,
said the researchers.
Still, lead investigator Jerry Brewer, MD, a Mayo Clinic
dermatologist, sounded the alarm about what he called a “dramatic rise
in women in their 20s and 30s.”
“We anticipated we’d find rising rates, as other studies are
suggesting, but we found an even higher incidence than the National
Cancer Institute had reported,” he said.
Although the current study did not focus on reasons for the increase,
Brewer said other researchers have found that people who use indoor
tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than
non-tanners. Jennifer Stein, a dermatologist at New York University
Langone Medical Centre, agreed that indoor tanning beds are a likely
culprit.
“One possible explanation for this rapid increase in cases of
melanoma may be the use of indoor tanning beds in teens and young
adults, which has become so popular in recent years,” said Stein, who
was not involved with the study.
“It’s important for people to protect their skin from ultraviolet
exposure, and to check their skin for new or changing moles, which can
be a sign of melanoma. The key to surviving melanoma is early
detection.”
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. People at the highest
risk are those with light hair and green or blue eyes.
Spending a lot of time in the sun and having had one or more
blistering sunburns in youth also boost the risk.
AFP
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