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Melanoma Network of Canada Annette Cyr, Chair, MNC Our Organization • To provide melanoma patients and their caregivers with current and accurate information and services in the fight against melanoma; • To increase public awareness of malignant melanoma and skin cancer through Education and Advocacy across Canada; • To advocate for improved treatment options and ultimately find a cure for Melanoma. Melanoma: Fast Facts • Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers worldwide. In Canada, this form of skin cancer has more than tripled over the last 30 years and continues to increase.(Public Health Agency of Canada. “Melanoma Skin Cancer Facts and Figures.” • Second most common cancer in North American women between the ages of 20 and 40 and leading cause of cancer death in women ages 25 to 30 and is second only to breast cancer in women aged 30 to 34 (Source: SEER-Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results data, http://seer.cancer.gov) • Approximately 5800 invasive melanomas diagnosed in Canada in 2012, and approximately 980 deaths; over 80,000 cases of other skin cancers • Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation either from the sun or from artificial sources such as tanning beds is the leading factor in the development of skin cancers and is the most preventable cause of the diseases. (Canadian Dermatology Association. 2010 Melanoma Fact Sheet.) Lifetime Risk for Melanoma CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60:301-316. How Tanning Causes Cancer Tanning is the body's response to UV damage. All tans are skin damage. Exposure to the mid-day sun can produce as many as 40,000 DNA errors an hour (Regina Santella, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York) The UV light causes the DNA molecule thymine to bind to adjacent thymine molecules that renders both molecules unreadable during transcriptions - errors occur in areas of DNA that regulate cell growth and skin cancers like melanoma can begin to develop. Most times, skin cells rapidly repair most of those 40,000 errors, but over time repeated errors can cause cancer or other problems. Long Term UVA Exposure Long Term UVA Exposure Long Term UVA Exposure It Isn’t Pretty That Suntan Can Kill • People who have tanned indoors have about a 75 percent higher risk of melanoma, on average, than people who have never tried it. • Compared with people who had never tanned indoors, those who tanned in high-speed and high-pressure machines had roughly three and 4.5 times the risk of developing melanoma, respectively. • High-speed machines use higher amounts of ultraviolet-B (UVB) light while high-pressure machines use more ultraviolet-A (UVA). (Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, May 2010) Youth Find Tanning Appealing Young People and Sports in North America People we know 23/04/1966 — 20/03/2012 The Age.com What is the benefit of Sunscreen? Skin Types • • • • • • Type I - Often burns, rarely tans. Tends to have freckles, red or fair hair, and blue or green eyes. Type II - Usually burns, sometimes tans. Tends to have light hair, and blue or brown eyes. Type III - Sometimes burns, usually tans. Tends to have brown hair and eyes. Type IV - Rarely burns, often tans. Tends to have dark brown eyes and hair. Type V - Naturally black-brown skin. Often has dark brown eyes and hair. Type VI - Naturally black-brown skin. Usually has black-brown eyes and hair. When am I am risk? http://www.theweathernetwork. com/uvreport/caon0696 http://www.cancer.ie/reduce-yourrisk/sunsmart/uv-index Epic Fail Campaign Epic Fail Campaign Sunbeds and Smoking Ban in Ireland • Tanning bed legislation passed in Nova Scotia in May, 2011 and city of Victoria in 2010; BC Feb 2012; Quebec May 2012; Manitoba May 2012 • More than 37 US states; Australia, N.Z., France, Germany, Norway, Spain, U.K. Sunbed Regulation in Ireland • Legislation pending • Supported by: – The current government – NCCP – Irish Cancer Society • Banned if <18 – Warning labels • Currently banned in NI The ABCDEs of Melanoma Asymmetry – one half is unlike the other Border – An irregular, scalloped or poorly defined border Color- Is varied from one area to another; multiple shades of tan, black brown, red, white or blue Diameter – If greater than 6 mm (pencil eraser tip); but can also be less Most important - Evolving – a mole that is changing, oozing, itching or bleeding or looks different from the rest (the ugly duckling)