Rich Teens Risk Melanoma, Poor Teens Risk Cervical Cancer

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Rich Teens Risk Melanoma, Poor Teens Risk Cervical Cancer

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Affluent teens spend more time vacationing in the sun or tanning at salons. This puts them at greater risk for skin cancer than their less-affluent peers, who face higher rates of cervical cancer

TEENS & CANCER: Money may not buy happiness, but it may increase young people's rates of skin cancer. Less-affluent teens aren't excluded, though. They face a higher risk of cervical cancer.

by Patricia McFadden
Informify Staff Writer
June 11, 2008

Cancer in general is increasing among teenagers in the United States and United Kingdom. While wealthy teens are at a higher risk for certain cancers, such as melanoma and lymphoma, poor teens are at a higher risk for other cancers, such as cervical. U.K. researchers can explain the difference in melanoma rates—affluent families take their children on sunny vacations and childhood sunburns lead to skin cancer. But researchers can't explain why other cancers afflict wealthier teens more than their poorer classmates.

Cancer on the Rise in UK Teens

Several cancers are increasing in teenagers, including ...

lymphomas,
brain tumors,
melanoma,
testicular cancer, and
ovarian cancer.

More and more teenagers in the United Kingdom are getting skin cancer, or melanoma. Over the last 10 years, the number of cases increased by ...

4% each year in 20 to 24 year olds
2.5% each year in 35 to 39 year olds
40% in all ages groups

Between 1999 and 2003, almost twice as many wealthy 15 to 24 year olds developed melanoma than their poorer peers.

This affluence difference may be at least partially due to "not just Mediterranean holidays but skiing holidays, sunbeds and other elements of the affluent lifestyle," said Prof. Jillian Birch, director of the Cancer Research U.K. Pediatric and Familial Cancer research group at Manchester University. "The message is sun protection." (The Independent, 6/10/08)

Cervical Cancer Rates Soaring Among Poor Teens

Cervical cancer among teenagers is also increasing in the United Kingdom:

6.8% a year in 15 to 19 year olds
1.4% a year in 20 to 24 year olds

Unlike melanoma, cervical cancer strikes poorer women more than the affluent. Why? They know less about safe sex and sexually transmitted diseases. And they don't have access to preventative care, such as the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.

HPV causes cervical cancer, and the United Kingdom is launching a program to vaccinate 12-year-old girls against HPV.

"Clearly the vaccination will come too late for some of them," Birch said. "We are talking small numbers but we don't want any teenage girl to suffer invasive carcinoma." (The Independent, 6/10/08)

Melanoma, Cervical Cancer Rates Increasing for US Teens

Teen cancer is on the rise in the United States, as well.

"Cervical cancer and melanoma, two preventable cancers, are increasing in teenagers faster than in other groups," said Simon Davies, chief executive at Teenage Cancer Trust. "More education is desperately needed so young people can change their behavior before it's too late." (Daily Mail, 6/10/08)

Dr. Scott Howard, a children's cancer expert at St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., agrees. But, he also admits that it's an uphill battle to convince children and teens to take their cancer risk seriously.

"This is not like a car accident where you can immediately see the consequences of your actions," Howard said. "We will not see any benefit of anything we do today until 2030." (Associated Press, 6/10/08)

Question for Readers:

Did you burn often in childhood and later develop skin cancer as an adult?

"We know melanoma is caused by intermittent exposure to intense sunlight and that exposure in childhood increases the risks of developing the disease up to 40 years later. The incidence of the disease rises with age but there is some evidence that in the over-30s it is plateauing. However, in the 15 to 29 age group it is increasing at a faster rate."

—Prof. Jillian Birch, director of the Cancer Research
U.K. Pediatric and Familial Cancer
research group at Manchester University
(The Independent, 6/10/08)

Getting a severe sunburn when we're kids increases our chances of developing melanoma later in life. No matter your age, take these steps to protect your skin:

Tan without sun to avoid burns: Ultraviolet (UV) rays cause skin cancer. To get that sexy tanned look, use a sunless tanning product and remember to put sunscreen over it when outside.
Slather on the sunscreen: Use a product with at least an SPF 15 factor on exposed skin anytime you go outside.
Cover up: Wear long-sleeved shirts, hats, long pants and sunglasses when outside for extended periods of time.
Be cool: Stay in the shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, when the sun's rays are the most intense.
Pay attention: Snow, water and sand all reflect rays, causing you to burn doubly fast. Clouds and breezes may make the day cooler but they don't block harmful UV rays.

(Source: National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention)