Probing Attitudes to Skin Cancer

Cheap package holidays have made a sizzling summer break a reality for millions. But how many of us think about the dangers of exposing our bodies to the glare of the sun?

One of the world's largest online surveys, launched in late January, aims to learn how 10,000 people in different countries behave while having fun in the sun, as well as probing their attitudes to tanning and skin cancer.

The survey, at www.genomel.org, is the latest part of GenoMEL, a 7 million, five-year international project co-ordinated by the University of Leeds . It will use genetic science and psychology to try to halt the alarming rise in skin cancers being seen around the world.

It is one of the UK 's most common cancers, with over 69,000 new cases reported every year. Even more worryingly, the number of melanoma cases - the most dangerous and aggressive form of skin cancer - has doubled over the past 20 years.

There's still an awful lot we don't understand about melanoma, which killed 1,700 people in the UK alone in 2004, and about 60,000 world-wide according to the World Health Organization.

The multiple-choice survey will examine how people assess their risk of getting a melanoma, and what protection they take from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Do they slap on SPF15 sunscreen all over their body, or do they wait until they turn pink?

..."Nothing like this has ever been attempted before on such a large scale within health psychology research, said Paul Affleck, GenoMEL project manager at Leeds ' Institute of Molecular Medicine (LIMM).

The results, expected in early 2008, will help scientists develop more effective prevention and education strategies, aimed at getting millions of sun worshippers to change their behaviour.

The survey is available in English, Dutch and Swedish - though French, Spanish, Italian, German, Slovenian, Hebrew, Polish and Latvian versions will also go live over the next few months.

..."The increasing number of melanoma cases we are seeing could be the result of more people going on cheap flights to sunny places, as well as the continuing fashion for a golden tan, said Mr Affleck.

..."But we need to find out how these environmental and lifestyle factors are interacting with a person's inherent genetic risk of getting skin cancer or melanoma. So the more people who take part in the survey, the better.

The GenoMEL project is funded by the European Commission and co-ordinated by Leeds Professor of Dermatology Julia Newton-Bishop in LIMM. It involves 20 of the world's leading melanoma research centres, including Leeds.

Their main focus is collecting DNA via blood samples from thousands of people, to identify the genes - running in families or particular populations - that may increase susceptibility to melanoma.

Scientists also want to find out how these interact with other genes and environmental factors like sun exposure.

Melanoma now accounts for almost three per cent of all new cancer cases in the UK, affecting around 8,000 men and women.

Professor Newton-Bishop said: "So far GenoMEL has made much progress in understanding the role of four high-risk melanoma genes. But there are also many other relatively low-risk genes - such as the one that gives people pale skin, red hair and freckles - and others we don't know about yet."

Risk to families partly depends on where they live, how much sun exposure they get, and whether their skin has lots of irregular moles - scientists want to find out how these risks interact together.

For example, in Australia up to 11 per cent of melanoma patients report a family history, compared to just one per cent in the UK, although both countries have a similar genetic mix. It is estimated that around 70 per cent of melanomas are caused by sun exposure, especially during childhood and teenage years.

Professor Newton-Bishop said: "Later on, we hope to create an online 'risk calculator' that makes it easy for individuals of different skin types to work out how safe they are in the sun, based on our genetic research findings."

As GenoMEL keeps making new discoveries about skin cancer, the website will publish up-to-date educational materials for patients and health professionals.

Keep safe in the sun:
It's important to know your skin type and what your sunburn risk is to help prevent skin cancer and melanoma.

As a general rule, the lighter your skin, the more careful you should be to protect yourself from the sun. If you have brown or black skin, you are 10-20 times less likely to get a malignant melanoma. However, appropriate sun protection will reduce your risk of non-melanoma skin cancer.

• Report any mole changes or unusual skin growths to your doctor without delay.
• Remember that people with darker skin need some sun exposure to produce enough vitamin D for their bodies. Casual exposure to the sun is usually enough.