Skin Cancer Data and Risk
2010
Half of the nation got sunbrunt this year
Almost half of Britons (46%) got sunburnt this year and admit they would risk doing so again to get a tan, according to a survey released today.
September 1, 2010
Sunglasseas Rival Lotions as Vital for Safety
Slathering on sunscreen or wearing a hat is important to protect your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, but adding a pair of good sunglasses is also extremely important.
August 20, 2010
Florida's Minorities See Unusual Melanoma Patterns
Melanoma trends among minority groups in Florida were significantly higher than national trends, particularly among black women.
July 21, 2010
New Genetic Link Shows Virtiglio Could Reduce Risk of Skin Cancer
People with the skin pigmentation disorder virtiglio, which causes pale skin patches, is a chronic condition which affects one in every 200 people. It appears that a common variant in the gene tyrosinase (TYR) which increases vitiglio susceptibility has been shown to give deceases susceptibility to melanoma.
August 16, 2010
Trends in Dermatology: Melanoma Incidence by Darrell S. Rigel, MD
"The incidence of invasive melanoma in the United States continues to rise 4% to 6% annually despite all of our efforts to improve primary prevention. Similar increases are being noted worldwide. This increase in melanoma incidence is not due to artifact and cannot be attributable to better counting methods..." [Subscription]
March 15, 2010
Patients with Melanoma have Prolonged Increased Risk of Subsequent Melanoma
Dr. P. T. Bradford of NCI analyzed 9 cancer registries. "Patients diagnosed with melanoma may have up to nine times the risk for a subsequent melanoma than the general population. This risk was even higher among women with head and neck melanoma and anyone diagnosed with melanoma when aged younger than 30 years."
March 16, 2010
Melanoma Cases on the Rise
"The average American's risk of developing melanoma in his or her lifetime increased from one in 1,500 in 1930, to one in 250 in 1980 and one in 74 in 2000," from Dr. D. S. Rigel. Now, it's 1 in 58. "'If this rate continues ... the risk will be one in 50 by 2015,' he tells WebMD. If more people are dying of melanoma and more people are surviving melanoma, the only mathematical option is that cases are going up faster," he says. Dr. Rigel discusses why melanoma incidence may be under-reported.
March 9, 2010
Melanoma Risk Higher in Parkinson's Patients
"Exams of more than 2,000 people with Parkinson's disease found that about 1 percent currently had melanoma. Based on the findings ... people with the degenerative nerve disease should receive regular skin cancer screening."
March 8, 2010
The Truth about Sunburn for People of Color
"Sunburn is a serious situation that increases the chances of malignant melanoma.... [S]unburns among blacks are higher than any other race. A new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 50.4 percent of sunburn cases among blacks, which is higher than the 35.6 percent among whites and 45.6 among Hispanics."
March 4, 2010
Tami Griffith - Melanoma Mortality Rate Continues to Rise
"The overall mortality rate worldwide has continued to rise. However, there has been a decline in mortality in younger patients. This is thought to be due in part to early detection and treatment of the condition."
February 21, 2010
Melanoma Linked to Pesticide Exposure [in Farm Workers]
L. Dennis et al. of Univ. of Iowa. "After adjusting for known risk factors such as sun sensitivity and exposure, they found a significant dose-response relationship between incidence of melanoma and having applied each of four pesticides: the insecticides parathion and carbaryl, and the fungicides mancozeb and benomyl."
February 19, 2010
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2009
ASH: Skin Cancer Common in CLL [Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia] Patients
"Explain to interested patients that skin cancer is eight times more common in patients with CLL than in the general public. Assure patients that melanoma occurrence does not appear to negatively impact overall survival." Study by Dr. T. G. Call at Mayo Clinic. CLL alters immune system.
December 7, 2009
Perception of Skin Cancer Risk by Those with Ethnic Skin
"Mortality rates among whites decreased by 20% to 30% between 1969 and 1988, but the mortality rates for ethnic populations remained unchanged during the same period. The present study assessed skin cancer awareness, risk perception, and sun-protective behavior in ethnic populations." [Subscription required.]
November 16, 2009
Elderly Skin 'Raises Cancer Risk'
"Older people are more at risk of skin cancer and infection because their skin is unable to mobilize the immune system.... It contradicts previous thinking that defects in a type of immune cell called a T cell were responsible for waning immunity with age."
August 29, 2009
Burden of Skin Diseases
How to conceptualize and measure the burden of the diseases in all their aspects, economic, social and psychological, for all skin conditions. Reviews literature on increased burden and more opportunities for measurement. For melanoma, more younger people are affected. "International literature indicates that, in Belgium, an individual dying of MM would die approximately 6-8 years before the age of 65 years and in Denmark 14-15 years while in the USA almost 17 years.... The devastating effects of skin diseases on individuals' lives have been ignored in the past, basically because there were no effective methods to quantify them."
July 28, 2009
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Epidemiology of Invasive Cutaneous Melanoma. R. M. MacKie et al. of Several Universities. Review of Worldwide Data.
"Data are presented on the current incidence of melanoma with recent and predicted future trends illustrating a likely continuing increase in incidence. Risk factors for developing melanoma are discussed.... Phenotypic markers of high-risk subjects include high counts of benign melanocytic naevi. Other risk factors considered include exposure to natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation...." An interesting observation: "All European countries report a higher incidence in females than males, in contrast to Australasia and North America, where males have a higher incidence."
July 18, 2009
Skin Cancer on the Rise for Men Above the Age of 50 by American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
"Studies have found that men are twice as likely to develop skin cancer over women.... According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), men are at greater risk for skin cancer because they are less likely to wear sunscreen or protective clothing and more likely to work outdoors."
July 17, 2009
Dueling Docs - Does the Sun Really Cause Melanoma?
Dr. S. Shuster (UV not explanation for melanoma) and Dr. S. Menzies (95% of melanomas from UV) square off again. Dr. Shuster suggests that it's difficult in lab to create melanomas from UV. Dr. Menzies: arguing against UV as cause of melanoma is "like saying lung cancer is not caused by cigarettes because some people get lung cancer even though they don't smoke."
May 15, 2009
Really? The Claim: Tattoos Can Increase the Risk of Skin Cancer
Nothing with tattooing is known to cause cancer. But: "Several case studies have dealt with melanomas that were overlooked because they arose from moles hidden by tattoos."
May 4, 2009
What a Waste of a Tan!
More on the UK figures that "malignant melanoma has overtaken cancers of the cervix and breast in women aged 20-29 years."
April 28, 2009
HRT [Hormone Replacement Therapy] 'Doubles Risk of Deadly Skin Cancer'
Dr. E. Koomen et al. of Leiden Univ. found increase in risk of melanoma when women took HRT for more than six months. "The same study shows taking the pill can also increase the dangers, although to a lesser extent."
February 25, 2009
The Obama Cancer Plan Should Prioritize Prevention, Says Cancer Prevention Coalition
Plan should emphasize prevention. Notes that in 1975-2005 incidence of several cancers rose, including a 172% increase in melanoma.
January 23, 2009
Geographic Variation and Risk of Skin Cancer in US Women: Differences Between Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Basal Cell Carcinoma
"The risk of SCC is independently affected by residence in locations with medium and high UV indices; the gradient of risk is weaker for BCC; and the risk of melanoma does not change significantly across this gradient." Dr. A. A. Qureshi et al.
January 19, 2009
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