Melanoma Rates May Be Higher for the Rich
Melanoma Rates May Be Higher for the Rich
March 21, 2011 -- Many lifestyle-related cancers disproportionately affect the poor, but new research finds the opposite to be true for the most lethal form of skin cancer: melanoma.
In a California study, non-Hispanic, white teens and young women living in the most affluent neighborhoods were nearly six times as likely to be diagnosed with melanoma as white teens and young women living in the poorest neighborhoods.
Researchers examined socioeconomic status and neighborhood ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels, finding that affluence had a bigger impact on melanoma risk than UV exposure.
“That was a surprise to us,” says study co-researcher Christina A. Clarke, PhD, MPH, of Stanford University and the Cancer Prevention Institute of California. “We thought UV radiation exposure would be a more important predictor of melanoma risk than socioeconomic status, but that is not what we found.”
Precancerous Skin Lesions and Skin Cancer
In a California study, non-Hispanic, white teens and young women living in the most affluent neighborhoods were nearly six times as likely to be diagnosed with melanoma as white teens and young women living in the poorest neighborhoods.
Researchers examined socioeconomic status and neighborhood ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels, finding that affluence had a bigger impact on melanoma risk than UV exposure.
“That was a surprise to us,” says study co-researcher Christina A. Clarke, PhD, MPH, of Stanford University and the Cancer Prevention Institute of California. “We thought UV radiation exposure would be a more important predictor of melanoma risk than socioeconomic status, but that is not what we found.”
Precancerous Skin Lesions and Skin Cancer
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