Deadly Skin Cancer Rates Rise for the Baby Boomers

Summer is getting closer, and for many this is the best time of the year, warmer temperatures and more daylight hours make our bodies more energized and our mindset more cheerful. But the frequent sun exposure that many westerners enjoy during the summer months can have a deadly outcome.

Cancer Research UK now reveals a study that shows that people in their 60s and 70s are five times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma now than their parents would have been 30 years ago. Researchers take these numbers very seriously, and therefore launched SunSmart Campaign last week.

The baby boom generation has the biggest increase in incidence rates of melanoma, rising from 7 cases per 100,000 people in the mid 70s, to 36 cases per 100,000 today. Researchers say that the shift in tanning behaviour in the 1970s, when cheap package holidays and sunbeds arrived in the UK, is one of the main reason.

The category most at risk is men in their 60s and 70s, where the rates of melanoma have risen most dramatically. People belonging to this group are over seven times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than in the 1970s.

For both men and women of all ages, the melanoma incidence rates have quadrupled since the 1970s, and the worrying rise in incidence rates is expected to continue. Caroline Cern, SunSmart manager at Cancer Research UK says “A change in the culture of tanning including the explosion of cheap package holidays and the introduction of sunbeds in the seventies means we’re now seeing alarming rates of melanoma for an entire age group. The battle agains melanoma is far from won. Today the problem threatens o get worse as teenagers continue to crave a tan on the beach and top it up cheaply on sunbeds. Already skin cancer is predicted to become the fourth most common cancer for men and for women in the UK by 2014. We must continue to try and stop this pattern of behaviour or melanoma rates in future generations will hit an all time high.”

The overall death rates are also rising, from the 1970s to today, they have more than doubled. If melanoma death rates had stayed the same as thy were in the beginning of the 1970s, around 19,000 fewer people would have died from melanoma.

But in spite of these numbers, there is hope. “Melanoma is largely preventable. People with fair skin, freckles and lots of moles should take extra care in the sun. But everyone should avoid the temptation to redden or burn in order to get a tan.”, Cerny continues.

Have you had skin cancer, or do you know anyone that has been affected? Comment below, or on our Facebook page.

World Kidney Day 11th of March

On the 11th of March this year World Kidney Day is celebrated, as a health awareness campaign aimed at improving the knowledge of kidneys and to cut the rate of kidney disease.

This year, the campaign will focus on Diabetes as the most important cause of Chronic Kidney Disease, and has the theme: “Protect your Kidneys, Control Diabetes”. The campaign is a combined initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF), with the aim of spreading the message that kidney diseases are common and should not be ignored as they then can cause immense harm to human lives. The bright side is that kidney diseases in most cases are treatable.

Below is a list of 10 Ways to Keep Your Kidneys in Top Health

• Control your weight
• Check your blood pressure and cholesterol frequently
• Supervise your blood glucose
• Don’t overuse over-the-counter painkillers
• Do an annual physical exam
• Exercise regularly
• Do not smoke
• Maintain a healthy diet
• If diabetes or chronic kidney disease runs in your family you might be at risk, so be even more precaucious about the above