Sunscreen does not increase melanoma risk

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2004

Sunscreen use is not linked to an increased risk for melanoma, relate University of Iowa, Ames, researchers who reviewed 18 studies on sunscreen and this deadly type of skin cancer. The investigators saw limitations among several studies that had found an association between sunscreen use and higher rates of melanoma. Some of the research analyzed did not take into account people's risk factors for the disease.

An estimated 54,200 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with melanoma this year, and nearly 7,600 people will die from the disease. Nationwide, melanoma cases are occurring at a faster rate than any other type of cancer.

Melanoma occurs when skin cells that produce melanin, or brown pigment, are damaged. Risk factors for the disease include a family history of the malady, large number of moles or freckles, sun sensitivity, and exposure to UV radiation from sunlight or sunlamps and tanning beds.

By reviewing studies dating back to the 1960s, scientists found that some research did not properly account for sun sensitivity--or the possibility that individuals at a higher risk of getting skin cancer use sunscreen more than those with less risk. "People who are more sun-sensitive tend to have fair skin, burn easily, or be unable to tan, so if you don't account for that, you end up finding sunscreen use associated with more melanoma," points out Leslie Dennis, assistant professor of epidemiology. "However, when you properly adjust melanoma risk for sun sensitivity, you find that using sunscreen does not [do] harm."

However, "We still do not recommend that you use sunscreen simply to prolong sun exposure, as that may put you at risk. Most people do not reapply sunscreen when they should," Dennis concludes.