Based on a person’s socioeconomic status, it appears that the higher the status, the better the chance of melanoma developing. White adolescent girls and young women living in more affluent neighborhoods than those living in lower socioeconomic areas simply have a higher skin cancer incidence a new study reports.
Data was included from a total of 3,800 non-Hispanic white girls and women between the ages of 15 and 39, in whom 3,842 melanomas were diagnosed. Regardless of the year of diagnosis, adolescent girls and young women living in neighborhoods with the highest socioeconomic status were nearly six times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma than those living in the lowest socioeconomic status.
The authors of the study comment:
“Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer and represents a substantial cause of productive years of life lost to cancer, especially when occurring in young persons. Among non-Hispanic white girls and women aged 15 to 39 years in the United States, age-adjusted incidence rates of cutaneous melanoma among adolescents have more than doubled during a 3-decade period (1973-2004), with a 2.7% increase annually since 1992.”
Melanoma is less common than other skin cancers. However, it is much more dangerous and causes the majority (75%) of deaths related to skin cancer. Worldwide, doctors diagnose about 160,000 new cases of melanoma yearly.
The diagnosis is more frequent in women than in men and is particularly common among Caucasians living in sunny climates, with high rates of incidence in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and northern Europe. According to a WHO report about 48,000 melanoma related deaths occur worldwide per year.
The treatment includes surgical removal of the tumor, adjuvant treatment, chemo and immunotherapy, or radiation therapy. The chance of a cure is greatest when the tumor is discovered while it is still small and thin, and can be entirely removed surgically.
The research continues:
“Understanding the ways that socioeconomic status and UV-radiation exposure work together to influence melanoma incidence is important for planning effective prevention and education efforts. Interventions should target adolescent girls and young women living in high socioeconomic status and high UV-radiation neighborhoods because they have experienced a significantly greater increase in disease burden.”
Higher rates of UV-radiation exposure were associated with increased rates of melanoma only among adolescent girls and young women in the highest two levels of socioeconomic status.
Girls and women living in neighborhoods with the highest socioeconomic status and highest UV radiation exposure experienced 73% greater melanoma incidence relative to those from neighborhoods with the lowest socioeconomic status and highest UV radiation, and an 80% greater melanoma incidence relative to those living in neighborhoods with the lowest socioeconomic status and lowest UV radiation exposure.
In July 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer released a report that categorized tanning beds as “carcinogenic to humans.” The agency, which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO), previously classified tanning beds as “probably carcinogenic.” The change comes after an analysis of more than 20 epidemiological studies indicating that people who begin using tanning devices before age 30 are 75% more likely to develop melanoma.
Possibly there is a link to higher economic status, the use and frequency of tanning beds and high incidence of female melanoma.
Source:
Written by Sy Kraft, B.A.