“The risk of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, now appears to be decreasing in Sweden—at least in those under 50, according to a new study,” reports EurekAlert.
The results show that the new-onset curves for people over 50 years of age are steadily increasing, but for the age groups younger than 50 years, the new-onset curves started to decrease around 2015.
‘This is the first time we see this in Sweden, and we are actually the first European country to report a decline,’ says Hildur Helgadottir.
In terms of mortality, the curves have also turned downwards for ages up to 59, but not for those over 60. Hildur Helgadottir believes that the decrease in mortality in the younger groups is due both to a reduction in the incidence of the disease and to the introduction of new oncological drugs that have improved the prognosis for the disease. She believes that the fact that mortality is not decreasing in the elderly is because the incidence of the disease is still so high in this group.
There are likely four causes of this decline in skin cancer. One is that immigration means there are more people in Sweden with dark skin (which protects against skin cancer, but also makes it harder to get enough Vitamin D in northern regions). Sweden has more immigrants as a percentage of its population than any other country in northern Europe.
Second, cellphones and computers result in youngsters spending more time inside, rather than outside in the sun, resulting in less cumulative sun exposure.
Third, the number of sun-tanning facilities has fallen a lot. Moreover, in 2018, a law was passed banning people below 18 from using sunbeds.
Finally, there is increased awareness of skin cancer and how it can be caused by excessive exposure to the sun.
On the other hand, many people are now staying inside too much, due to attachment to their computers and mobile phones. That could deprive some of them of adequate Vitamin D, and result in more cancers of the internal organs.
Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide health problem. The major source of vitamin D for most humans is sensible sun exposure. Factors that influence cutaneous vitamin D production include sunscreen use, skin pigmentation, time of day, season of the year, latitude, and aging. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the measure for vitamin D status. A total of 100 IU of vitamin D raises blood level of 25(OH)D by 1 ng/ml. Thus, children and adults who do not receive adequate vitamin D from sun exposure need at least 1000 IU/d vitamin D. Lack of sun exposure and vitamin D deficiency have been linked to many serious chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, and deadly cancers. It is estimated that there is a 30 to 50% reduction in risk for developing colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer by either increasing vitamin D intake to least 1000 IU/d vitamin D or increasing sun exposure to raise blood levels of 25(OH)D >30 ng/ml. Most tissues in the body have a vitamin D receptor. The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, is made in many different tissues, including colon, prostate, and breast. It is believed that the local production of 1,25(OH)2D may be responsible for the anticancer benefit of vitamin D. Recent studies suggested that women who are vitamin D deficient have a 253% increased risk for developing colorectal cancer.