Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, now affects more than twice as much of the population as it did just a few decades ago, according to the findings of a recently published study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study’s reported findings indicate a rise from 11.2 cases per 100,000 people in 1982 to 22.7 cases per 100,000 people come 2011. The CDC report, which was published Tuesday, estimates that there will be approximately 112,000 new cases come 2030 unless adequate measures are taken. The study’s release comes just a day after the CDC published new information on preventing melanoma on its website.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and the most deadly of them, melanoma, accounts for more than 9,000 deaths a year, according to the CDC.
Melanoma is not only deadly, it’s also costly. If melanoma cases continue to rise in line with the CDC’s projections, the cost of treating the lethal cancer will triple to $1.6 billion by the year 2030.
According to Dr. Lisa Richardson, the director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, a melanoma epidemic is preventable in light of skin cancer being the most preventable type of cancer, the Huffington Post reported.
Dr. Richardson adds that the rates of other types of cancers are on the decline in comparison to the rates of melanoma, despite its preventability. The best way to reduce one’s risk of melanoma is to avoid the sun as much as possible. While in the sun, sunscreen should be worn at all times, however, TIME warns that not all sunscreens are what marketers claim they are, as sunscreens higher than SPF 50 are unnecessary as they don’t provide increased protection.
Those in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. exercise extra caution and to obey the general rule of thumb which entails a teaspoon of sunscreen per body part and reapplication every two hours.
The Skin Cancer Foundation also suggests covering up with clothing, hats and never using tanning booths; a message which Tawny Williams reportedly learned the hard way.
In other health coverage here at Immortal News, the combination of a couple of immunotherapy drugs has shown promise in skin cancer treatment. The drug combo, which is part of a new line of cancer drugs which employ the body’s own immune system to fight cancer, was shown to have reduced the size of tumors while also halting cancer’s advance for a period of time.
