DEADLY LEGACY OF YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY

Sunshine breaks link to cancer surge

PACKAGE holidays in the sun have been blamed for a huge rise in skin cancer rates over the past 40 years. Six times as many Scots are being diagnosed every year with the deadliest form of the disease as four decades ago. Experts say the boom in sun- seeker package holidays – which started in the 1960s – is to blame for an explosion of cases among the middle-aged.

Many sufferers were exposed to cancer- causing sunburn in their youth and are now paying the price years later, they say.

And they warn that our ongoing obsession with getting a tan is likely to mean cases of the disease will keep on soaring.

The boom in the use of sunbeds was singled out for particular criticism.

Researchers said sunbed use had already fuelled a huge increase in all types of skin cancer, particularly among young women,

and this deadly legacy was likely to push rates higher still for many years to come.

New figures from Cancer Research UK found that 1,200 people a year in Scotland now develop malignant melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer – compared with around 190 in 1975.

The latest incidence rates show around 18 people in every 100,000 are diagnosed with malignant melanoma in Scotland every year.

This compares with only four people per 100,000 in the mid-1970s.

It is the fifth most common cancer in Scotland. Thirty years ago, it was the 15th. Skin cancer rates are higher than the UK average, which experts say may be linked to the poor weather.

With fewer hours of sunshine, Scots are more keen to jet off abroad, but many are risking their health when they get there.

Tragically, it is the fastest growing

‘It’s essential not to burn’

cancer in young people and the most common cancer in women in their 20s. The number of young people affected is forecast to reach 20,000 by 2027.

Melanoma is treatable if caught early but patients who develop metastatic cancer, where it has spread, are rarely cured by chemotherapy.

Nick Ormiston- Smith, head of statistics at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘Since the mid-1970s, malignant melanoma incidence rates in the UK have increased more rapidly than any of today’s ten most common cancers.

‘Holidays in hot climates have become more affordable and sunbeds are more widely available since the 1970s.

‘But we know over- exposure to UV rays from the sun or sunbeds is the main cause of skin cancer.

‘This means, in many cases, the disease can be prevented, and is why it’s essential to get into good sun safety habits, whether at home or abroad.

‘The good news for those that are diagnosed, is that survival for the disease is among the highest for any cancer, more than eight in ten people will now survive it.’

Better detection may also have contributed to increasing rates, he added.

The figures come as thousands of Scots are returning from their Easter holidays, the most popular destinations including Tenerife, Majorca and Malaga.

At least a third of those will have applied insufficiently strong sunscreen, risking their lives in pursuit of the perfect tan.

Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokesman for Scotland, said there had been a ‘significant change’ in malignant melanoma rates.

She added: ‘The dramatic rise is partly down to an explosion in package holidays to Europe dating from the late 1960s and the increasing popularity of the “must-have” tan often achieved only after damaging sunburn.’

Experts believe the toll from sunbed use is likely to increase as cancer takes several years to develop and young people continue to ignore health warnings.

For a third year, Cancer Research UK and NIVEA SUN are running a campaign telling people how to enjoy hot weather safely.

Caroline Cerny, senior health campaigns manager at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘It’s essential to take care not to burn.’