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Melanoma Rates Increase Among Younger Women

This is bad news from The Washington Post. You can read the rest of the article by clicking on the blue type.

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 11, 2008; Page A01
Increasing numbers of younger women continue to receive diagnoses of the most dangerous form of skin cancer even as the rate of new cases has leveled off in younger men, federal health officials reported yesterday.

An analysis of government cancer statistics from 1973 to 2004 found that the rate of new melanoma cases in younger women had jumped 50 percent since 1980 but did not increase for younger men in that period.

“It’s worrying,” said Mark Purdue, a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute, who led the analysis published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. “What we are seeing in young adults right now could foretell a much larger number of melanoma cases in older women.”

The new research did not examine the reasons for the trend, but Purdue said it could be the result of such factors as women spending more time outdoors and engaging in indoor tanning. Young women are much more likely than young men to frequent tanning salons, Purdue and others noted.

July 13, 2008 - Posted by | Beauty, Cross Cultural, Family Issues, Health Issues, Living Conditions, Women's Issues

7 Comments »

  1. id say to mr. purdue : look for the cause, what are young women exposed to that young men are not ? oral contraceptives ? perhaps some kind of moisterizing losions ?
    needs to be fully researched,

    abdulaziz's avatar Comment by abdulaziz | July 13, 2008 | Reply

  2. Abdulaziz, I think Mr. Perdue got to the point in the last line of the excerpt, where it talks about young (American) women spending more time in the sun trying to get tan, and using tanning beds.

    And you are right, too, there may be exacerbating factors; oral contraceptives? some additive in moisturizers? or make up? Good point.

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | July 13, 2008 | Reply

  3. Oh yes, American women are such sexpots that they all take oral contraceptives! Puh-lease! Quit watching so much TV and realize that there are a lot of moral American women out there that are outraged and offended by your typical Arab ignorance!! Even if this doesn’t make your post, I gotta say something about that comment, because I am just so sick of this attitude.

    annoyedByAbdulaziz's avatar Comment by annoyedByAbdulaziz | July 14, 2008 | Reply

  4. Annoyed – LLOOLLL! I initially had the same reaction, and as I was typing my response, I realized . . . it’s a possible factor. It could be a factor.

    Think about it – many young men spend as much time in the sun as young women – why would women be more vulnerable? When I took BCP’s, my skin was more sensitive to the sun. Maybe AbdulAziz was just listing some factors of the top of his head that could influence the increase. Maybe you and I are over-sensitive.

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | July 14, 2008 | Reply

  5. Well I must say I chuckled at your diplomacy at the end of your comment. And maybe I’ve been in the sun too long. LOL!

    annoyedByAbdulaziz's avatar Comment by annoyedByAbdulaziz | July 14, 2008 | Reply

  6. dear annoyedby abdulaziz:
    i really meant no offence when i mentioned oral contraceptive use by young women, and when i said that i was not implying anything i didnt say… young women all over the world are using OCP regularly including in my country.
    and just to make you feel better even young men are taking OPS believe it or not 😉 mostly body builders.

    PS.. thank you soo much for expressing your thoughts rather than keeping them inside, this is a very healthy attitude that demands a lot of respect from me.

    abdulaziz's avatar Comment by abdulaziz | July 14, 2008 | Reply

  7. Wooo Hooo on you, AbdulAziz. You have always been a gentleman when commenting on this blog, and it was that which made me stop and think again.

    And Wooo HOOO on you, Annoyed, for coming back and being gracious and good humored. Welcome, by the way, I am delighted to have you commenting here.

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | July 14, 2008 | Reply


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