Published on April 10, 2012
According to an analysis spanning four decades in Minnesota, there is good news and bad news when it comes to skin cancer. From 1970 to 1979 and 2000 to 2009, the incidence of cutaneous melanoma increased but the death risk from melanoma decreased.
Although that study may not reflect the entire country, other research from the CDC’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database confirms similar findings nationwide. Over the same time periods as the Minnesota analysis, the incidence of melanoma rose from 4.8 per 100,000 men and women aged 18-39 in 1970 to 30.8 per 100,000 of the same group in 2000, but there was an 8-9% reduction in the risk of death.
The most dramatic rise occurred in women in their 20s and 30s. Use of tanning beds may be associated with this increase, as researchers have linked that with increased skin cancer risk. Prevention and early detection is key as demonstrated by the increased incidence of early-stage skin cancer, probably due to awareness about screening.
Read the full article at MedPage Today.
