Melanoma started to decrease in Sweden in people under the age of 50

Malignant melanoma has started to decrease in Sweden in people under the age of 50, according to a study published on Sunday Jama Dermatology -in leaf.

Dangerous skin cancer continues to increase in people over 50, but the incidence in younger people decreased after the peak year of 2015.

Sweden is the first country in Europe where a downward trend has been observed, says lead author of the study Hildur Helgadottir About the Karolinska Institute in the research bulletin.

In the past, a similar turn has been observed in Australia and the United States.

Cause Sweden’s reversal was not explained in the study, but researchers assume that several factors have reduced Swedes’ time in the sun.

Since the 1990s, people in the country have been educated about the importance of protecting children’s skin from the sun’s UV radiation.

“We believe that now 20 years later, this has led to a decrease in cases in young adults,” says Helgadottir.

Another factor is the sharp decline in the supply and popularity of solariums. In 2018, they were completely banned from minors.

The third reason for the decrease in sun exposure is smartphones and computers, because of which children and young people spend less time outside.

In addition, the skin of dark-skinned people tolerates the sun’s UV radiation better, so melanoma is rare for them.

Also in Finland melanoma incidence appears to have leveled off after a steady increase in the 2000s that peaked in 2016.

“For women under the age of 50, the trend is now more on the decline,” says the Cancer Registry’s research manager Karri Seppä.

The effect of the corona pandemic creates uncertainty in the observation. Especially in the first corona year 2020, far fewer cases were observed than expected. The reason may have been that people isolated themselves to avoid infection and therefore examined their skin changes clearly less.

Returns extend to 2022. Only the future will show whether the favorable turn has really begun.

A Swedish study found that mortality from melanoma has also started to decrease in people under the age of 60.

According to Sepä, skin melanoma mortality in Finland under the age of 60 has been steadily decreasing since the 1990s. The reason is probably the earlier detection of melanomas and the development of treatments.

in Sweden the incidence of melanoma has been more than a third higher than in Finland.

Melanoma is a skin cancer that originates from the skin’s pigment cells, melanocytes.

The emergence of cancer has a clear connection with the sun’s UV radiation, which damages the genetic material of cells.

The risk increases for people who have spent a lot of time in the sun or solarium or whose skin has repeatedly burned.