Skin cancer rates rise in young adults | Wall-Street.com

Diane Alter ? AHN News Reporter

Minneapolis, MN, United States (AHN) ? A dramatic rise in skin cancer rates among young adults is leading health officials to shine the light on the risk factors, especially those associated with tanning salons, which women are more likely to use.

According to a new study from the Mayo Clinic, published in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, out Tuesday, women under the age of 40 are hit the hardest by the rising incidence of melanoma.

Researchers examined records from a decades-long database of all patient care in Olmsted County, MN, and looked for first-time diagnoses of melanoma in patients ages 18-39 from 1970 to 2009.

Among the findings, melanoma cases increased eightfold among women during that time, and fourfold for men.

The study authors noted that what particularly needs to be stressed is the old idea that ?skin cancer is an older person?s disease.?

The growing prevalence among young women can most likely be explained by the fact that they are more likely to participate in activities that increase risk for melanoma, including voluntary exposure to artificial sunlamps.

The study is the latest evidence of the steady rise in skin cancer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that while new cases of many of the most common cancers are declining, melanoma cases are increasing.

The National Institutes of Health says that excess exposure to ultraviolet light increases risks for all skin cancers. UV light is invisible radiation that can damage DNA in the skin and can be generated by the sun, sunlamps and tanning beds.

Skin cancer most often occurs in people older than 50. Melanoma is the most serious type and can be deadly.

Symptoms include changes in an existing mole, or the development of an unusual growth on the skin, according the Mayo Clinic. People with fair skin are most at risk

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