Melanoma skin cancer hits record high in UK

A cancer charity is warning people to do more to protect themselves from the sun as the number of cases of skin melanoma in the UK continues to rise.

Cancer Research UK predicts there will be a record 20,800 cases diagnosed this year, compared to an annual average of 19,300 between 2020 and 2022.

Its analysis shows that rates increased by almost a third between 2009 and 2019, from 21 to 28 cases per 100,000 people.

The increase in diagnoses is due in part to an increasingly aging population and increased awareness of the signs of skin cancer.

The report suggests that around 17,000 cases of melanoma each year are preventable, of which almost nine in ten are caused by too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Melanomas are a serious type of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body.

There are also non-melanoma skin cancers, which are generally more common and less serious than melanoma.

According to Cancer Research (CRUK), the increase in cases is across all age groups, but the biggest increases are in older age groups, particularly in adults over 80, where diagnoses are increased from 61 to 96 cases per 100,000 people in a decade.

There was also an increase among adults aged 25 to 49, according to the association’s analysis.

For this group, the rate increased from 14 to 15 per 100,000 people in 10 years.

Young people are more likely to be aware of the link between UV and skin cancer than older generations, scientists suggest.

This could mean they are more likely to take precautions in the sun than older people, who grew up in an era when less was known about the dangers of tanning.

Many people also took advantage of the boom in cheap package holidays, which began in the 1960s, according to researchers.

Caroline Jones, 57, from Shrewsbury, was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2018 after spotting a small blemish on her leg.

She told the BBC: “It was tiny and shiny with a black bit in the middle. It just didn’t look right.

“The scary thing is, if it was on my back, I probably wouldn’t have seen it. But because I saw it and went to the doctor quickly, I’m still here today ‘today.’

Caroline’s melanoma was detected early and, after surgery to remove it, she is cancer-free.

“I have never sunbathed, but every time I have been abroad I have been burned very badly.

“That’s probably five times the time of falling asleep in the sun for a few hours,” she said.

“I hope my story will encourage people to think about their habits and be careful when enjoying the sun.”

CRUK chief executive Michelle Mitchell says survival from cancers, including melanoma, continues to improve, “demonstrating the substantial progress made possible by research”.

But it is essential that people work to reduce their risk of contracting the disease in the first place, she adds.

“Make sure you’re careful in the sun and contact your GP if you notice any unusual changes to your skin – whether it’s a new or changing mole, a sore that doesn’t heal or ‘an area of ​​your skin that seems unusual.

“Detecting cancer early can make all the difference. »

Nearly nine in ten adults diagnosed with skin melanoma in England will survive their disease for 10 years or more.