GREENVILLEJOURNAL GREENVILLEJOURNAL.COM • Friday, July 10, 2015 • Vol.17, No.28
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Summer in S.C. means catching rays – while keeping your skin safe KAYLA WILES | CONTRIBUTOR
kwiles@communityjournals.com According to a recent Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, melanoma rates have doubled over the last three decades. The same trend may be reflected in the Upstate due to several surprising reasons. Some doctors believe that greater awareness about skin cancer could explain why melanoma rates are increasing. “If we’re getting through to people in terms of spots on their bodies that don’t look like usual moles and what we would assume to be conspicuous, then they’re more inclined to contact their physicians,” said Dr. Robert Siegel of St. Francis Cancer Center. “You therefore see an increase in rates due to the awareness of both patient and physician about the condition.” The “ABCDE’s” of melanoma have become a popular way for people to recognize the cancerous moles on their bodies, said Dr. Richard Jamison of the Greenville Health System. These letters stand for asymmetry, border, color, diameter and evolving. “You can have all of these things and not be melanoma or none of these things and still be melanoma,” Jamison said. “What helps the most is just looking at all your moles and trying to find the one that doesn’t match.” While increased awareness has led to more diagnosed cases of melanoma, other factors still stand as possible explanations for the skin cancer’s increase.
Many doctors believe that excessive tanning continues to be a prominent variable for increasing melanoma rates. “Americans are a bit more cavalier in the sun,” said Siegel. Agreed Jamison, “Most things are just hypotheses, but good studies show that tanning is likely to increase risk.”
YOUNGER PATIENTS AND INCIDENTAL EXPOSURE Both Siegel and Jamison have also noticed increased melanoma cases in younger patients. National statistics bear this out: The National Cancer Institute
reports that melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 2529 years old and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old. “There are a lot of things we’re still trySKIN SAFETY continued on PAGE 8
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