The number of Swedes diagnosed with one of the deadliest forms of skin
cancer has increased by 50 percent over the last decade, a new study shows.
The jump in melanoma cases comes despite warnings to take precautions when
spending time in the sun and to seek treatment at the first sign of abnormal
skin changes, according to study carried out by health officials in the
Uppsala-Örebro region in central Sweden.
The results of the study are to be represented a national medical
conference, the Upsala Nya Tidning newspaper reports.
Gunnar Wagenius, a head doctor at Uppsala University Hospital’s cancer
clinic, is both disappointed and surprised that the number of advanced stage
and hard to treat melanoma cases hasn’t decreased.
“We had expected that it would only be cases of light, easily-treated
melanoma that increased,” he told the newspaper.
Between 1995 and 2007, there were 4,121 cases of melanoma reported in the
seven county councils which make up the Uppsala-Örebro healthcare region.
From the start of the study period to the end, the number of cases reported
annually increased from 284 to 430 per year, an increase of 51 percent.
“It’s clear that advice to be careful in the sun to decrease the risk for
skin cancer hasn’t yet had an effect on the occurrence of melanoma,” said
Wagenius.
Source : TT/David Landes
