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Skin Cancers Increasing in Young Adults
Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News 2005. © 2005 WebMD Inc. Aug. 9, 2005 -- Nonmelanoma
skin cancers appear to be on the rise among young adults in the U.S., with
the biggest increases being seen in women, according to a new study. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic reported a more than doubling of
the incidence of squamous cell and basal cell
carcinomas among women under the age of 40 since the mid- to late-1970s,
while only a slight increase has been seen among men. The study will appear
Wednesday in Journal of the American Medical
Association. The new study did not address the reason for the rise, but
experts tell WebMD that they suspect the popularity
of tanning beds among young women may be at least partly to blame. "Generally, about 80% to 90% of nonmelanoma
skin cancers occur around the head and neck, but in the population that we
studied there was a higher percentage of tumors occurring on the torso,
especially among young women," dermatologic surgeon and researcher of
the study Leslie J. Christenson, MD, tells WebMD.
"This suggests intentional tanning, either through tanning beds or lying
out in the sun." Skin Cancer Most
Common After 50 More than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the Nonmelanoma skin cancers are highly treatable if the skin lesion is
identified and removed early. They are most commonly seen in people over the age
of 50, but Christenson says her experience led her to suspect that the
cancers were on the rise in younger people. "As a dermatologic surgeon, I was operating on more and
more younger women," she says. "That is what led us to do the
study." The Mayo researchers found that between the late 1970s and 2003,
the incidence of basal cell carcinoma skin tumors doubled among people
younger than age 40, with the rise in cases among women accounting for most
of the increase. The rate for basal cell carcinomas per 100,000 people in the
mid- to late-1970s was 13.4 cases among women and 23 cases among men. Between
2000 and 2003, the rate was 31 cases for women and 26 cases for men. Christenson says the increased rates in these tumors among young
people points to an overall rise in skin cancers in the near future. "50% of people who have one (nonmelanoma
skin lesion) will have a second one within two to three years, and 75% of
people who have two will have a third," she says. American Cancer Society skin cancer spokesman Martin A Weinstock, MD, PhD, says the fact that the rise was so
much more apparent in women than in men seems to implicate intentional
tanning, and especially tanning bed use. It is clear that women use tanning beds much more often than men
do. A recent study showed that girls in their late teens were almost seven
times as likely as boys to report tanning with the aid of a tanning bed. "We can't tell from this report that this is the cause, but
it is certainly something that needs further study," Weinstock
tells WebMD. Tanning Beds to Blame? But not everyone agrees that tanning beds deserve some blame. "To jump to this conclusion is just an unfair analysis of
the data," Indoor Tanning Association Executive Director John Overstreet
tells WebMD. "It is a disservice to our
industry and to people who depend on science to make decisions about their
lives." Overstreet added that it is surprising that skin cancers are
increasing despite aggressive public health campaigns warning against sun
exposure. "If you accept the fact that sunscreen and an awareness about the dangers of overexposure are now
part of everybody's life, then this suggests that other factors might be
involved," he says. Protecting Yourself
From the Sun Though most people now use sunscreen when sunbathing, Weinstock says it is rarely used in the most effective
manner. That means:
"It is almost impossible to figure out how often to reapply
sunscreen by looking at most (sunscreen) labels," he says. "That
makes it very difficult for people who are trying to do the right thing, let
alone those who aren't paying much attention." The American Cancer Society has also borrowed the slogan
"Slip, Slop, and Slap" from an Australian skin cancer awareness
campaign. The campaign urges people to slip on a shirt, slop on the
sunscreen, and slap on a hat before sunbathing, Weinstock
explains. "It is the best way to protect yourself when you are out in
the sun," he says. SOURCES: Christenson, L.J. Journal of the American Medical Association,
Aug. 10, 2005; vol 294: pp 681-690. Leslie J.
Christenson, MD, clinical researcher and dermatologic surgeon, Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, Minn. Martin A. Weinstock, MD, PhD,
professor of dermatology and community health, Brown University, Providence,
R.I.; chairman, American Cancer Society Skin Cancer Advisory Group; chief of
dermatology, VA Medical Center, Providence, R.I. Geller, A.C. , 2002. John
Overstreet, executive director, Indoor Tanning Association. |
