How much research and how many horror stories do people need to get the message? From Daily News Central:
Unless the current suntanning trend is reversed, today’s youth could be three times more at risk of eventually acquiring malignant melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — than their grandparents were.
This stark assessment came as Professor Brian Diffey, sun protection specialist and adviser to Cancer Research UK, launched this year’s Cancer Research UK SunSmart campaign. He revealed figures that show the incidence of melanoma is rising sharply in younger, as well as older people.
Abiding by the messages provided through the SunSmart program would lower the toll, Professor Diffey says. But incidence rates nevertheless are set to double in the next 30 years as a result of how much sun exposure people have had in the past. Early detection is the key to bringing down mortality rates, he emphasizes.
More than 7,300 cases of malignant melanoma are diagnosed each year in the UK and more than 1,700 people die from the disease. Melanoma is attacking younger people more often as each decade passes, research shows.
“It’s essential that people monitor their moles and skin blemishes, and report any changes in them,” warns Professor Diffey. “Acting promptly can save lives and early detection and treatment will give many melanoma patients an excellent prognosis.”
This is one of those forms of cancer that MUST be detected early. Says Cancer Research UK dermatologist Dr. Catherine Harwood:
“Signs to watch out for include a mole getting bigger, a mole with a ragged outline or one with a mixture of different shades of brown and black. If a mole gets inflamed or starts to bleed or itch, then get it checked out. But it’s also important to remember that any of these signs don’t necessarily mean you have melanoma…”
In other words: better to stay out of the sun and have any weird things on your skin examined than be sorry…
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.