In a new study from the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers found that only about 30% of American adults say they are concerned about developing skin cancer—even though nearly 70% have at least one risk factor for the disease.
A survey revealed that 49% of respondents were more worried about avoiding sunburn than preventing skin cancer.
About 32% said they were more worried about avoiding wrinkles, and about 25% said they had been sunburned in 2020.
These findings suggest that many people do not take skin cancer seriously or perhaps believe skin cancer won’t happen to them.
The team says one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and nearly 20 Americans die from melanoma—the deadliest form of skin cancer—every day.
The incidence of skin cancer is about 30 times higher among White people than among Black or Asian/Pacific Islander individuals, but the risk for skin cancer does still exist for people of all skin colors.
It is often diagnosed at a later stage for those who have darker skin colors.
The researchers say what’s concerning is that invasive melanoma is projected to be the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer for both men and women this year.
Doctors need to make sure that everyone understands their risk for skin cancer and takes steps to prevent it, as well as to detect it early before it spreads.
If you care about skin cancer, please read studies about common high blood pressure drug linked to higher skin cancer risk and findings of 5 things you should know about skin cancer melanoma.
For more information about skin cancer treatment and prevention, please see recent studies about a new way to detect 95% of skin cancer and results showing that some skin cancer may start from hair.
One researcher of the study is Robert Brodell, M.D.
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