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Old 07-13-2009, 02:01 PM
 
Location: Central Virginia
834 posts, read 2,270,064 times
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I was just reading how the Pacific Northwest has the highest rate of skin cancer in the US!
here is what the article said...

" Oregon has one of the highest incidence rates in the U.S. of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, along with Washington, Idaho, Utah, New Hampshire and Vermont."

How is this possible? All I ever read about it avoiding a lot of sun exposure to lessen your chances of cancer. So how is it possible that the states with the highest rates of skin cancer are places like Washington and Oregon where they supposedly get very little sun? Someone suggested that perhaps they have more people who are fair skinned and fair skinned people have a higher rate of cancer. Or perhaps they use tanning beds a lot because of the lack of sun. Someone else suggested that perhaps they simply go to the doctor more often and that is why it is diagnosed there more than other places.

I know when I lived in Florida I met lots of people who had skin cancer at one point in their life. I would think that Florida would be in the top 3 at least! It was so common. It didn't seem near as common to hear about it when I lived in Virginia or now in Connecticut.

Any insight to why these states have an increased risk?
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Old 07-13-2009, 02:36 PM
 
3,969 posts, read 13,616,769 times
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I think there are several reasons these states have high incidences of skin cancer. There is probably an attitude that the sun isn't as harmful in these places, so protection may be less. Also, the sun "season" can be short, usually July-September, and perhaps people over-do it to make up for lost time. People in western WA and western OR tend to worship the sun after a long, cloudy winter. This is especially the case for those of us who grew up in the 60's & 70's when we didn't know better. Finally, these states are mountainous and with winter sports and the snow reflection mixed with higher altitudes, well you get the idea.
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Old 07-13-2009, 02:45 PM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,853 posts, read 35,024,794 times
Reputation: 22693
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yankeerose00 View Post
I was just reading how the Pacific Northwest has the highest rate of skin cancer in the US!
here is what the article said...

" Oregon has one of the highest incidence rates in the U.S. of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, along with Washington, Idaho, Utah, New Hampshire and Vermont."

How is this possible? All I ever read about it avoiding a lot of sun exposure to lessen your chances of cancer. So how is it possible that the states with the highest rates of skin cancer are places like Washington and Oregon where they supposedly get very little sun? Someone suggested that perhaps they have more people who are fair skinned and fair skinned people have a higher rate of cancer. Or perhaps they use tanning beds a lot because of the lack of sun. Someone else suggested that perhaps they simply go to the doctor more often and that is why it is diagnosed there more than other places.

I know when I lived in Florida I met lots of people who had skin cancer at one point in their life. I would think that Florida would be in the top 3 at least! It was so common. It didn't seem near as common to hear about it when I lived in Virginia or now in Connecticut.

Any insight to why these states have an increased risk?
Skin cancer's relationship with the sun is quite different than what you have heard and read. In fact, vitamin D (which your body synthesizes from the SUN), protects you from skin cancer. It makes perfect sense, then that the states that have minimal sunshine would certainly have a higher incidence of the disease.

20yrsinBranson

Last edited by 20yrsinBranson; 07-13-2009 at 02:49 PM.. Reason: clarification
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Old 07-13-2009, 03:14 PM
 
2,413 posts, read 5,726,951 times
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I live in Florida and don't know anyone personally that has or had skin cancer except my grandfather. But he was fair skined and in the Air force, standing out on the tarmac all the time. No surprise there. I bet I know why the Pacific Northwest has the most incidents. It could be that the weather is more cloudy, and people think that makes them safe from UV rays, but it doesnt. False sense of security. People in Florida know the sun is strong, and normally take precautions, no so much in the Northwest. Just my guess.
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Old 07-13-2009, 05:43 PM
 
Location: Central Virginia
834 posts, read 2,270,064 times
Reputation: 649
I'm very interested in this issue right now because I just found out that a friend of mine who had melanoma just was told that it has returned. She lives in south Florida. I lived in Florida for 15 years and came across many people who had skin cancer or knew someone who had. I worked with 2 different people who each had a small part of their nose cut out because of skin cancer. I was really surprised by the states that ranked at the top. However after doing more research this afternoon I found that depending on which article you read, there are different states that rank high. I found on study that had California, Florida, Arizona and New york as the 4 top states for skin cancer.

I also found this:


What are the risk factors for skin cancer? Risk factors for non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers include:
  • unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation
  • fair complexion
  • occupational exposures to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds, or radium
  • family history
  • multiple or atypical moles
  • severe sunburns as a child
So it would seem that while sun can cause cancer, a person can also get the bad UVB rays through the clouds especially at high altitudes.

I also found this about preventing cancer:

You can prevent all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, by avoiding overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.
* Use a sunscreen with an SPF of least 15 daily. Wearing sunscreen in the early fall is just as important, too.
* Wear protective clothing outdoors, including a wide-brimmed hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and pants.
* Stay out of the sun during the midday hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
* Use a higher SPF when at higher elevations.
* Avoid sunbathing and tanning salons. UV rays from artificial sources such as tanning beds and sunlamps are just as dangerous as those from the sun.


I read that one reason that the pacific northwest has such a high rate of skin cancer is because there are so many tanning beds! Apparently, the lack of sun does make people want to run to a tanning bed or go on vacation and bake out in the sun, thus raising their chances of skin cancer.
I guess it must the same with New Hampshire.
I find this all very scary. I don't take the article to mean that those in sunny states should dismiss the sun, but rather, that UV rays are strong enough to get through the clouds. So we need to be careful on cloudy days as well as sunny days. I have to say, I can remember learning that fact back in the 80's in high school but I didn't take it seriously. To me, if you couldn't get a tan on a sunny day, then how bad could the UV rays be? I guess, pretty bad.
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Old 07-13-2009, 07:00 PM
 
Location: where my heart is
5,643 posts, read 9,608,604 times
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The best thing you can do it cover up; long sleeves, long pants, and a hat. All sunblock does is prevent burn, not prevent tanning.

My Dad worked the docks for 40 years. Even in the middle of summer he always wore the above.
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Old 07-13-2009, 07:06 PM
 
709 posts, read 1,762,883 times
Reputation: 351
Quote:
" Oregon has one of the highest incidence rates in the U.S. of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, along with Washington, Idaho, Utah, New Hampshire and Vermont."
All those states are also overwhelmingly White. Most people of European descent are more prone to skin cancer than people from other races, unless ofcourse you are some swarthy dark Italian for example.
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Old 07-13-2009, 07:27 PM
 
Location: Central Virginia
834 posts, read 2,270,064 times
Reputation: 649
John McClane, that's very true. So maybe states w/ higher percentages of fair skinned people have higher rates of cancer. That would make sense.
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Old 07-13-2009, 09:09 PM
 
3,969 posts, read 13,616,769 times
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The Vitamin D factor, mentioned by an earlier poster, might be a contributor, but the bottom line is exposure to the sun is the main contributor. There is no scientific evidence to refute that.
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Old 07-14-2009, 11:48 AM
 
6,615 posts, read 16,509,143 times
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My mother and sister have spent the vast majority of their lifetimes in FL, and both have had multiple skin cancers removed. My other sister has lived in the Midwest all of her adult life. She too has had 2 instances of skin cancer. When they were teens, both of my sisters used to lay out in the sun for hours when we lived in Miami. My brother has lived most of his life in the SF Bay area, and I've lived in the Midwest since sophomore year in college. Neither of us has had skin cancer diagnosed, though we both get annual physicals. Not sure what this means.
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