SKIN CANCER TIME BOMB FOR YOUNG BRITONS

Almost three quarters of Britain 's young men and women are boosting their risk of potentially fatal skin cancer in their search for a suntan.

A specially commissioned survey* for Cancer Research UK today reveals that 70 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds still want a tan on holiday despite warnings of over exposure to the sun.

These alarming figures come in the wake of news that cases of melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer – have increased by 24 per cent in the last five years.

  Dr Charlotte Proby, a leading dermatologist for Cancer Research UK , says: "Many teenagers have grown up with an obsession about getting a tan on holiday. But young skin is very vulnerable to UV radiation. Unless young people change their habits and learn to protect themselves properly in the sun we could be heading for a skin cancer time bomb."

Experts fear that while young people are constantly warned about the dangers of holiday binge drinking and unprotected sex not enough is being done to alert them to the dangers of irresponsible behaviour in the sun.

The survey has prompted Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health to focus on young people and mothers of young children in the second year of their jointly funded SunSmart campaign launched today.

It aims to target mothers with information on how to protect babies and toddlers from the sun and to encourage older teenagers, especially those going abroad alone for the first time, to reduce their skin cancer risk with proper protection from harmful rays.

Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson, says: “ I am delighted to announce that the Department of Health will fund this excellent campaign for around £400,000 over the next three years in recognition of the importance we attach to its work.  When you consider that sunburn in childhood increases the risk of skin cancer in later life, the importance of this SunSmart campaign really hits home". 

Dr Proby says: "Almost 7,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2000 and the numbers are rising steadily. It is largely a preventable cancer and we need to ensure that the public knows how it can reduce its risk.  This year the SunSmart campaign will be providing information to schools, colleges, parents and doctors' surgeries urging people to protect themselves and their children in the sun and to be aware of any changes in existing moles or new ones appearing.   The message is getting through slowly but, as the survey indicates, there is still widespread ignorance about the potential danger of sunburn."

The survey of more than 1800 people, aged over16, also revealed that only seven per cent of those questioned listed "don't burn" as a means of reducing their risk of skin cancer. And just six per cent mentioned checking moles as a way of reducing risk.

Nearly half the people questioned liked or aimed to get a tan on holiday. But the figure soared to 70.6 per cent among 16 to 24 year olds of whom only 7.7 per cent avoid getting a tan.

Cancer Research UK scientists, investigating attitudes to sun protection in young people, recently found that older teenagers and young adults holidaying abroad independently for the first time were particularly at risk.

Young women were the most likely to seek a suntan and more prone to using sunscreen with low SPF levels.

Britain already has more deaths from skin cancer than Australia where a 20-year-long campaign of sun awareness has recently reaped great benefits in seeing incidence of melanoma in the younger generation drop for the first time.

In Australia the number of deaths is around 1,000 a year. In the UK it is close to 1,700.    

For more information visit: www.sunsmart.org.uk

  *ONS omnibus survey

Notes

Key campaign messages  are:

·           Stay in the shade between 11am-3pm
·           Make sure you never burn
·           Always cover up with a T shirt, wide brimmed hat and sunglasses
·           Remember to take extra care with children
·           Then use factor 15 plus sunscreen.

Also report any mole changes or unusual skin growths promptly to your GP.

*Nine out of ten skin cancers are easily treatable and unlikely to spread.  They are called non-melanoma skin cancer and there are more than 62,000 new cases registered each year in the UK . Malignant melanoma, which accounts for less than one in ten skin cancers, is the most serious type of the disease and may be fatal. It is more common in women than men.

*Around 7,000 people a year in the UK are diagnosed with malignant melanoma. It usually develops in cells in the outer layer of the skin but can spread to other parts of the body.

*Melanoma is the third most common cancer among people aged 15-39 and early detection is crucial for successful treatment.

*Research says that sunburn in childhood can double the risk of melanoma in later life.

*The SunSmart Campaign is supported by:
The UV Health Promotion  Group whose members include  the British Association  of Dermatologists,  the UK Skin Cancer Working  Party, National Radiological Protection  Board, Skin Care Campaign , Wessex   Cancer Trust, Health and Safety Executive, Guide Dogs for the Blind. Also backing the campaign  are Boots, Homebase, Lloydspharmacy  and Craghoppers  Ltd.

(12/4/04)