Binge tanning brings out a rash of skin cancers
Reported June 04, 2008
Broadcast from Toulouse in the South of France, HEALTH brings you to the site of Cancerpole, 220 hectares of land that France wants to become the European leader in cancer treatment. The campus will be home to 24OO researchers who will be working on finding new treatments and cures for cancer.
One in three cancers diagnosed is skin cancer. It is more common in women rather men but men are more likely to die from it. In the United Kingdom for the first time, since they started taking records, the number of people diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, had broken the 10,000 mark. The rate of malignant melanoma there is rising faster than any other cancer. Experts blame binge tanning, but the problem goes well beyond the borders of the British Isles. HEALTH visits a dermatologist to see how best one can avoid the common cancer.
Research in the US suggests a surprising new preventative treatment for skin cancer: caffeine, it says, reduces the risk of getting the most common kind of skin cancer – basal cell carcinoma.
Sunscreen is a more common tool used to block out the suns harmful UV rays. In a recent survey, one in three Americas admitted that they never put any on their skin even if they were going out in the sun for four hours or more. HEALTH looks at the value of sunscreen and whether or not the creams do protect us as much as we may think.
Finally, eyes also need protecting from the sun. HEALTH looks at the latest developments in the area of eye care. Some 18 people around the world have already been fitted with what is in effect, a bionic eye.