SKIN CANCER in AUSTRALIA
Skin cancer occurs when skin cells are damaged, for example, by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
Every year, in Australia:
• skin cancers account for around 80% of all newly diagnosed cancers
• between 95 and 99% of skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun
• GPs have over 1 million patient consultations per year for skin cancer
• the incidence of skin cancer is one of the highest in the world, two to three times the rates in Canada, the US and the UK.
There are three main types of skin cancer:
• melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer
• basal cell carcinoma*
• squamous cell carcinoma*
*Both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are known as non-melanoma skin cancer.
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Apply a broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen to small areas of the skin that cannot be protected by clothing, such as the face, ears, neck and hands, remembering to reapply the sunscreen every two hours or more often it is wiped or washed off.
• There is no evidence that using sunscreen on babies is harmful, although some babies may develop minor skin irritation. Try sunscreen milks or creams for sensitive skin which are less likely to irritate the skin. As with all products, use of any sunscreen should cease if any unusual reaction occurs.
Causes
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Anyone can be at risk of developing skin cancer, though the risk increases as you get older.
The majority of skin cancers in Australia are caused by exposure to UV radiation in sunlight.
Sunburn
• Sunburn causes 95% of melanomas, the most deadly form of skin cancer.
• In Australia, almost 14% of adults, 24% of teenagers and 8% of children are sunburnt on an average summer weekend. Many people get sunburnt when they are taking part in water sports and activities at the beach or a pool, as well gardening or having a barbeque.
• Sunburn is also common on cooler or overcast days as many people mistakenly believe UV radiation is not as strong. This is untrue – you can still be sunburnt when the temperature is
United States. Skin cancer has been the most popular form of cancer that is growing especially since the invention of tanning beds. Sun exposure and radiation exposure increase the risk of skin cancer. The definition of cancer is abnormal cell growth or behavior. Studies have shown that sun and radiation exposure damage the cells in your body. Richard Wagman is the author of this article; he is a doctor who specializes in internal medicine. The publication is from The New Complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia, which is a book written by M.D. Richard
Cancer is the second largest cause of death in Australia and accounts for approximately 27% of all deaths. Risk factors generally include exposure to sun, poor diet and smoking. Many types of cancer such as skin cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer are easily preventable by early detection and awareness; however, some cancers cannot be prevented.
Although there are several types of skin cancer, the most aggressive form is melanoma. This cancer of the skin involves mass replication of the pigment producing melanocyte cells, which are located in the epidermis, below the basal layer. There are several factors involved with the onset of melanoma including, exposure to ultraviolet rays, genetic predisposition, numerous nevi (moles), immunosuppression, and environmental exposure to carcinogens.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Consider that 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with high exposure to UV radiation from the sun (which means 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are preventable!) WebMD reports that Melanoma ( a severe type of skin cancer) often starts as a change in skin or a mole growth.
Many people think that is it possible to achieve a “healthy tan,” but this thought has been proven wrong. Overexpose to UV-A and UV-B rays from the sun lead to premature aging of the skin, as well as the possible formation of skin cancer, know as melanoma. An appearance of a tan is actually a stage of burning and damage to the skin. Although a tan may be desirable to many, the fact remains that more people need to be educated on the dangers of the sun’s harmful rays, and the possible health complications of overexposure.
Problematique Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and is an ever increasing threat, accounting for over forty percent of cancer cases in the world. In the United States alone, over two million people will be diagnosed with skin cancer each year and one in every five Americans will develop it in their lifetime. Australia and New Zealand have some of the highest cancer rates in the world which is four times that of the US, UK and Canada. This disease is mainly due to UVB exposure from the sun but also from other sources of UV like tanning beds. Ultraviolet radiations come in three types: UVA, UVB, and UVC.
Have you ever felt the “false sense of security that [you] may not feel under direct sunlight” from a tanning bed (Jeffrey)? Your body relaxes, you feel serene, and you get a golden glow. Some teens strive for this feeling...and the tan. Tanning is the skin's response to injury, according to Arielle Kauvar, M. D. The exposure of UV rays over time can cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is the growth of abnormal growth of skin cells that forms in the tissue of the skin (Skin Cancer). Melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, can come from UV rays. From 1998- 2008, the number of cases of Melanoma has increased by about
Skin cancer is a very common form of cancer in Australia. People are exposed to ultraviolet radiation more extensively than anywhere else in the world. Cancer is a disease in which cells grow and divide aggressively. These cells invade and destroy other tissues and sometimes spread to other areas in the body.
Skin cancer is the most common out of all cancers. About 3.5 million cases are basal and squamous cells. Melanoma a more dangerous skin cancer had 73,000 cases in 2015.The most common types of skin cancer are basal, melanoma and squamous cell skin carcinoma. Basal a type of skin cancer that begins in the basal cells. Melanoma the most serious type of skin cancer. Squamous cell skin carcinoma a form of skin cancer that develops in the cells of the outer layer of the skin. Skin cancer begins in the cells that make up the epidermis. When the DNA that controls the cells growth is damaged, it causes an overgrowth and build up of skin cells. Eventually, this skin cell buildup forms a tumor, which results in the symptoms you see. Some causes of skin cancer are sun, solar radiation, ultraviolet tanning
Indoor tanning exposes users to two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB. UVA rays are suspected to be linked to the development of melanoma and other skin cancers. Worldwide, there are more skin cancer cases due to indoor tanning than there are lung cancer cases due to smoking. Tanning causes damage to the DNA in our skin cells, which leads to abnormal growth that could be benign or malignant. Tanning also weakens our immune system which compromises our body's capability of fighting against malignancies and cancer cells. There are two types of skin cancer that can be caused by tanning- basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. These types are treatable with early detection. Development of melanoma can be fatal."In the US alone, 419,254 cases of skin cancer can be attributed to indoor tanning. Out of this number, 6,199 are melanoma cases" (Skin Cancer Foundation). It has been found that younger tanners are at higher risk of developing skin cancers from tanning, but with the high levels of UV exposure, any tanner should take
UV radiation is not related to temperature. A cooler or windy day in summer will have a similar UV index to a warmer day. If it’s windy and you get a red face it’s likely to be sunburn. You can also get sunburnt on cloudy days, as UV radiation can penetrate some clouds and may even be more intense due to reflection off the bottom of the clouds. This was very interesting to me because before my research I believed I could not get sunburnt when it was not sunny and that cloudy days reduced
In Australia, Cancer is acknowledged as a priority issue that needs improving for Australia’s overall health. In 2004, cancer accounted for 28% of all deaths in Australia, 33.3% were males and 25.9% were females. A trend that has occurred between 1991 and 2011 gives Australia’s health, relating to cancer, hope that cancer deaths will continually be declining due to many factors. The trend is, the number of deaths between 1991 and 2011, had majorly declined by 17% and still to today the numbers are declining. Cancer mortality rates could be reduced by changes to lifestyle, for example, no smoking and eating balanced diet. The most common cancers in Australia are non-melanoma skin cancers, which are often self detected and usually
C. Melanoma Skin Cancer is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, it kills one person per hour, these cancerous growths are most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds. These tumors originate in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis. Melanoma is caused mainly by intense, occasional UV exposure (frequently leading to sunburn), especially in those who are genetically predisposed to the disease. Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color or feel of a mole.
Now that we know different types of skin cancer, it is important to know the causes for this disease. The first one is the environmental pollutants that we are exposed to such as coal, tar, and radium. Exposure to ionizing radiation such as x-rays also cause skin cancer (“Theoretical Causes”, 2000, P.6).
Excluding non-melanoma carcinoma, malignant melanoma is that the third commonest cancer in each Australian ladies and men, and therefore the commonest cancer in Australians aged 15-44 years. In 2011, 11,570 folks in Australia were