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Non-melanoma skin cancer 'epidemic' in US--study
by Smrity Sharma - March 18, 2010 - comments
It is believed that sun exposure is the most important cause of both basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.
A large number of Americans are thought to be suffering from non-melanoma skin cancer, the country's most common form of cancer, but the exact number is not known. However, according to recent estimates, more than 3.5 million were treated for non-melanoma skin cancer in 2006, affecting 2.1 million people.
According to the two new studies, one in six people in the nation is afflicted by non-melanoma skin cancer.
Two kinds of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC)
There are two types of non-melanoma skin cancer.
One is the basal cell carcinoma (BCC). It grows slowly, is rarely fatal, but can do tremendous damage to surrounding tissue and bone if not removed early.
The other is the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). If caught early this is very treatable. However, it can easily metastasize to other areas of the body and become more dangerous.
It is believed that sun exposure is the most important cause of both basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.
Details of twin studies
In order to reach at the conclusions, researchers looked into Medicare databases to tally the number of skin cancer procedures performed on patients covered by the government health plan.
One study conducted by lead author, Dr Howard W. Rogers, a dermatologist from Norwich, United States, and team, said, “We are dealing with a problem that is not going away. The number has kept going up and up at a rate of 4.2 percent every year, on average, from 1992 to 2006."
The team of researchers found that the total number of procedures for skin cancer in the Medicare fee-for-service population in the nation went up by 76.9 percent in a fourteen year period.
With the baby-boomer generation aging, the amount of non-melanoma skin cancer is expected to increase and continue to be an ongoing health challenge.
The second study, conducted by Dr. Robert Stern of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, United States, used a mathematical model to estimate the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer in the U.S. today.
The model showed at the beginning of 2007, nearly 13 million non-Hispanic American whites had at least one such cancer, either basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), in 2004, approximately $1.5 billion was spent on treating non-melanoma skin cancer.
Stern says that according to model the prevalence of a history of skin cancer is about 5 times higher than either breast or prostate cancer, and it is greater than the 31-year prevalence of all other cancers all together.
Stern found, "About 1 in 5 seventy-year-olds have had NMSCs, and most of those affected have had multiple NMSCs." And, "approximately 13 million white non-Hispanics living in the United States at the beginning of 2007 have had at least 1 NMSC."
"The prevalence of a history of skin cancer is far higher than that of any other cancer and exceeds that of all other cancers diagnosed since 1975," Stern added.
Though found early NMSC can be treated effectively than the melanoma variety. However, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), in 2004, approximately $1.5 billion was spent on treating non-melanoma skin cancer.
Tanning salons blamed
The scientists were not able to provide the exact reason behind increase in the number of skin cancers, but thought may be rise of the number of tanning salons could be the reason behind this.
They added, that “educational programs emphasizing sun protection have mainly been disappointing in slowing skin cancer rates.” Researchers concluded that more study is needed.
The findings of the studies will appear in the March issue of ‘Archives of Dermatology’, a peer-reviewed medical journal.