Canadians living in the south and coast of the country are at higher risk of developing a deadly form of skin cancer, according to a new study led by McGill University, which also found that the rate of this type of cancer is rising in Canada .
The population-based study, published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Medicine, analyzed data from 2011 to 2017 for patients with cutaneous melanoma in all provinces and territories except Quebec. The researchers also looked at mortality trends over a seven-year period and compared them with previous data from 1992 to 2010.
The data show that out of 39,610 patients diagnosed with this type of melanoma, 5,890 died. Women account for nearly 46% of cases and just over 37% of deaths. In particular, researchers found that mortality has also been declining since 2013.
The analysis also found that Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia have the highest levels of cutaneous melanoma in the country, even when other factors such as age are taken into account. Prices in the provinces of the prairies and the northern parts of the country are lower than the average for Canada.
“The most important thing is that melanoma affects different regions in different ways,” Dr Ivan Litvinov, an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University, told CTVNews.ca by telephone on Monday.
“The whole corridor from Windsor to Montreal – so southwest Ontario, crossings all the way to Ottawa and especially the areas around Lake Muskoka have higher levels of melanoma. And we see the same thing all over Nova Scotia and PEI and some coastal communities in New Brunswick. And it’s really quite striking compared to Northern Ontario and Newfoundland or other areas in Canada.
Coastal communities around southeastern BC also show a jump.
WHERE DOES SKIN CANCER APPEAR?
Melanoma is more common than all other cancers combined, according to Litvinov, noting that there are 80,000 skin cancer diagnoses a year in Canada, 8,000 of which are melanomas.
“It really goes up, up and up. “The incidence of melanoma is really rising … In other words, every hour and six, someone is diagnosed with melanoma,” he said.
He and his colleagues found that in the early 2000s there were about 12 cases per 100,000 per year. Now the national average is 20.75 cases per 100,000.
Along with these figures, the study also found that melanoma affects men and women differently, most commonly affecting men and women. In women, the feet are the main site where melanoma strikes, followed by the hands.
All subtypes of melanoma are common in men, but researchers note that acral lentiginous melanoma is more common in women and mainly affects the arms and legs. Litvinov theorizes that this may be the result of practices in the nail salon and the use of treatment of acrylic nails with UV light.
LOWER MORTALITY IN CANADA
Cutaneous melanoma causes more deaths than any other skin cancer, the study found, accounting for 1.9% of all cancer deaths in men and 1.2% of all cancer deaths in women. There are about 290,000 new cases of cutaneous melanoma worldwide in 2018, with Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany reporting the highest number of cases per capita.
Between 2008 and 2018, experts noted a 44% increase in this type of melanoma worldwide, along with a 32% increase in mortality.
In Canada, the study found that although there are more diagnoses, the death rate has actually been declining since 2013.
“This is a great success story,” Litvinov said. Like other rich countries, he noted that effective treatments such as immunotherapy and other targeted therapies against melanoma are becoming more affordable, with Canada among the leaders.
“Overall mortality may increase as the incidence increases, but per capita mortality is declining because we now have treatments that provide up to 50 percent survival for patients with advanced melanoma. Previously, advanced melanoma was a death sentence. But now we are able to turn it into a chronic disease, just like diabetes or heart dysfunction.
The lack of information from Quebec was an important limitation for this study, the authors note. In addition, other potential limitations include some missing data and the risk of incorrect patient classification. The lack of specific information also limits researchers’ ability to consider other factors, such as socio-economic and ethnic considerations, which could also play a role.
“It is important to emphasize that because Canada’s health care system is one-tier, funded and managed by provincial governments, data is collected sequentially, with each provincial and territorial cancer registry identifying tumors in its population by combining information from multiple sources. “, The study notes.
INCREASING DRIVING BEHAVIOR
Previous research has suggested that ozone depletion as a result of climate change may be a factor in increasing the diagnosis of melanoma. Researchers said that while this link has been well established for decades, many other factors “interact with the environment to determine the ultimate risk of this deadly disease.” Litvinov suggests that more affordable travel to sunny destinations, longer life expectancy, which gives people more time in the sun and more time to develop cancer, are among the other factors contributing to the growth of skin cancer.
“In general, we know that the sun is addictive.” We know that when people are exposed to the sun, there is a natural release of endorphins and people who seek the sun are really addicted to it, “he said, adding that there are evolutionary factors that play into our love of the sun.
“In today’s world, this really manifests itself in more skin cancer, melanoma, photoaging, skin wrinkles. We actually want people to go out and enjoy the outdoors to their full potential. Just don’t get a tan. ”
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