WASHINGTON:
Skin cancer is on the rise among young
adults, according to a US study published Monday 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 the 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, M.D., 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 per cent
more likely to get melanoma than non-tanners.
Jennifer
Stein, a dermatologist at New York University Langone Medical Center, 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/ck
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