JAMA Dermatology published the study, which was conducted by clinicians and researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Cases of melanoma among U.S. adolescents and young adults declined markedly from 2006 to 2015—even as the skin cancer’s incidence continued to increase among older adults and the general population during the span, new research shows.The finding, based on national cancer-registry data, suggests that public-health efforts advocating sun protection are changing behaviors among Millennials and Post-Millennials, the investigators surmised.
“We were wondering, with the advent of public health programs to increase sun protection—sunscreen and hats and staying in the shade and all the recommendations for skin cancer prevention—if that effort is working. Is there a corresponding decrease we can see reflected in melanoma rates?” said Margaret Madeleine, a co-senior author of the study and a Fred Hutchinson epidemiologist specializing in cancer-incidence trends.
Melanoma, triggered by ultraviolet radiation from the sun, is the most common skin cancer and is fifth most common among all cancers in Australia men and women. If it is detected and treated early, patients have a better than 95% chance of surviving five years or more. If not caught early, though, it can spread to structures such as the lungs, brain, or liver, and become highly lethal.
To read more details about this study, click here.
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