Malignant Melanoma accounts for around 79% of skin cancer deaths and some 3800 cases are predicted in Texas for 2005. Alarmingly, 42% of people know nothing about melanoma. Do you know how to lower your risks?
One out of five US residents will develop skin cancer during their life and, because of their shorter distance from the sun, that risk is even greater for Texans. Since the three most common forms of skin cancer are related to ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure, incidence rises in Sunbelt states where UV radiation is more intense.
Scientists discovered three decades ago that the atmosphere's ozone layer is thinning, allowing more UV radiation to reach the earth. In correlation, skin cancer incidences have more than doubled in the last thirty years.
Forms of Skin Cancer
Three common forms are Basal Cell Carcinoma(BCC), Squamous Cell Carcinoma(SCC), sometimes called nonmelanoma skin cancers, and Malignant Melanoma(MM), the deadliest of all. Texas ranks third for Malignant Melanoma. Alarmingly, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Dermatology, 42% of people know nothing about melanoma.
BCC develops slowly, over time, and does not spread, but damages surrounding tissues. SCC also develops over time, but invades deeper into the skin and can spread to other organs.
Malignant Melanoma results when melanocytes, which produce melanin, become cancerous. Scientists are not sure exactly how this happens but evidence seems to indicate that chronic sun exposure and blistering burns before the age of 15 raise the risk for MM. This cancer accounts for around 79% of skin cancer deaths and some 3800 cases are predicted in Texas for 2005.
Sun exposure is not the only cause of skin cancer. Other factors such as exposure to chemicals like arsenic, industrial tar, coal, paraffin, and certain types of oil, as well as skin damage, genetic factors, family history, moles, and suppressed immune system can elevate risk. Caucasians seem to have the greatest genetic risk followed by Hispanics and then African Americans.
Reducing Skin Cancer Risk
Avoid midday sun when rays are most intense.
Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum protection factor of SPF15 about fifteen to thirty minutes before going out and about every two hours while you are exposed, including the workplace, school, daycare, and recreational activities, not just at the beach and by the pool.
Wear protective clothing.
Remember that children need extra protection and that even one burn can raise their risk for skin cancer later in life. Babies under 6 months should have very little sun exposure.
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