Could it be that we’re actually doing a better job at protecting our skin from sun damage than we’ve been told? It’s very possible. An article published in the August 4th British Medical Journal suggests that what looks like a dangerous rise in melanoma cases over the last 20 years may actually be the result of increased biopsies being done on suspicious skin lesions, and not a true reflection of increased rates of skin cancer.

According to researchers at the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group, their study showed that while the number of biopsies for people 65 and older went up by 2.5-fold during the time period of the study, the actual incidence of skin cancer only went up 2.4-fold. They concluded that because the extra cases that were diagnosed were of early-stage cancers, while mortality actually remained stable, the increased incidence of skin cancer may well be the result of overdiagnosis.

Overdiagnosis. Now that’s a word you don’t hear very often in regards to cancer. If the conclusions from this study turn out to be true, it’ll be indicative of one small, but important battle being won in the war on cancer…the battle for early detection of melanoma. When it comes to cancer, early detection is your best friend.

According to the NCI’s Cancer Bulletin, there are at least some who disagree with this interpretation of the data:

Dr. Kathy Cronin of NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, agrees that interpreting data on incidence and mortality trends after the introduction of screening is difficult, but believes that the conclusion that the observed patterns suggest overdiagnosis is not evident from the available data.

“Stable mortality and late-stage incidence rates, along with an increase in early-stage incidence, could be indicative of either overdiagnosis or an increasing background trend,” says Dr. Cronin. “Particularly in light of increasing mortality observed before 1986, the stable mortality since 1986 does not necessarily denote overdiagnosis.”

I’ll be following this story for sure, particularly because I’m a big proponent of the health benefits, including cancer-fighting benefits, of getting adequate sun exposure.

Read more at: Study Raises Questions about Melanoma Incidence Rates

Technorati Tags: Melanoma, Skin Cancer