UVA radiation also causes skin cancer

UV radiation: Doubling of the skin cancer rate expected in Europe

05/08/2012

Recent studies have shown that UV-A radiation carries a significantly higher skin cancer risk than previously thought. Thus, not only the UV-B but also the UV-A radiation of sunlight makes a significant contribution to the according to the Federal Association of German Dermatologists (BVDD) for two decades worldwide significantly increased skin cancer.

With a Europe-wide campaign under the umbrella of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), the experts want to raise awareness of the risks of skin cancer and inform them about possible measures for early detection, prevention and treatment. Since yesterday, the Euro Melanoma Week 2012 has been attended by numerous dermatologists and clinical institutions.

Skin cancer screening should be strengthened
At the kick-off event of the 2012 Euro Melanoma Week, the BVDD President Dr. Ing. Michael Reusch emphasizes the importance of screening in the fight against skin cancer. The number of participants in the annual check-ups for people over the age of 35 years must increase significantly. Instead of the previous 30 percent, who decide to have a check-up, 70 percent of over 35-year-olds will participate in a skin cancer screening in five years, explained Reusch ... With information campaigns and actions such as the Euro Melanoma Week, the population should Topic be sensitized „just to reduce the cost of skin cancer surgery and expensive drug treatments,“ so the president of the BVDD. The success of an improvement in early diagnosis is demonstrated, according to the experts at Schleswig-Holstein, where the early diagnosis and education led to a halving of the mortality of skin cancer patients.

Excessive sunbathing main cause of skin cancer
The president of the BVDD also demands that education about skin cancer causes and proper behavior of skin cancer prevention should become part of the health education in kindergarten and school. The cause of the skin cancer is usually harmful sunlight or the ultraviolet radiation, which reaches the earth with the sun's rays. The UV rays affect the genetic make-up and, under certain circumstances, the affected skin cells begin to grow uncontrollably. It forms tumors, which appear as so-called black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) or as white skin cancer (eg, basal cell carcinoma) in appearance. The German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg (DKFZ) names the excessive exposure to sunlight as the main risk factor of skin cancer. It is not only the sun in the midsummer, but also the spring sun, as it was observed in the record weather in April (measured in Munich 32.2 degrees Celsius), due to a not inconsiderable risk of skin cancer. Extensive sunbathing is therefore critically evaluated even in the spring.

UV-A radiation significantly increases the risk of skin cancer than assumed
While up to now UV-B radiation in sunlight has been regarded as a major cause of skin cancer, recent studies have shown that UV-A radiation also carries a significantly higher skin cancer risk than previously thought, the experts reported at the inaugural event Melanoma week 2012. The longer-wave UV-A radiation penetrates deeper into the skin, causing damage to the genetic material even under continuous irradiation with low radiation intensity. This genotoxic effect of UV-A rays was previously observed only at very high dosage. Earlier this year, Professor Antony Young of King's College London and colleagues presented study results that showed that the risk of UV-A radiation has been significantly underestimated. The magnitude of the observed damage has also been surprising in the art world, although previous studies have already suggested the risk of skin cancer from UV-A rays. Thus, since the ultraviolet component of sunlight is 94 percent UV-A and only six percent has UV-B radiation, indeed, UV-A radiation could account for a significant proportion of skin cancers.

Different effect of UV-A and UV-B rays
As an expert in photobiology, Professor Antony Young has been working for years on the interaction between light and organisms. The consequences of UV radiation for human skin were one of his research interests. Here, it is important to distinguish between the effects of UV-A and UV-B radiation. Thus, as effects of long-wave UV-A radiation, for example, accelerated skin aging and wrinkling, loss of elasticity and changes in pigmentation can be observed. The short-wave UV-B light can not penetrate as deeply into the skin as the UV-A rays, but causes directly on the surface of the clearly visible sunburn. Both types of radiation are today blamed for the development of melanoma, as they are „the monitoring function of the skin's own immune system against altered cells“ impair „and so the soil for the training of skin cancer“ The expert of the Pharmaceutical Institute of the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Professor Rolf Daniels, explained.

Researchers expect doubling of the skin cancer rate
According to current research, UV-A radiation plays a significant role in the marked increase in skin cancer cases in recent years. The public health risks that may affect the population in the future can be determined from the reports of the BVDD President from a scientific conference in Copenhagen on the relationship between „Health, Environment and Climate“ only guess. In April, numerous experts met in the Danish capital to discuss the connection between „Health, Environment and Climate“ to discuss. Dr. Harry Slaper from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment presented figures that indicate a doubling of the skin cancer rate in Europe. Only by significantly improving prevention could this development possibly be stopped, experts estimate.

Sunscreen for skin cancer prevention?
The most common form of skin cancer prevention in the population is the use of sunscreen creams while sunbathing. However, previous sunscreens often offered no or only insufficient protection against the UV-A rays. Therefore, manufacturers are currently working hard to improve their products. In 2010, BASF launched a broadband filter to protect against both UV-A and UV-B light. According to the company, nearly 50 percent of all sunscreen products today contain the new UV-A filters. However, the protective effect of sunscreens is still being discussed controversially in the professional world. Although it is clearly clear that sunscreen prevents sunburn, the experts still do not agree on the reduction of skin cancer risk. Some studies have suggested that sunscreens may even increase the risk of black skin cancer. However, other studies have come to the opposite conclusion, with procedural errors being attributed to the older studies. In fact, only sunscreen creams with a relatively low sun protection factor and without UV-A filters were taken into account here, so that criticism based on the older studies hardly seems justified. Comprehensive results on the effect of the sunscreen with UV-A filter, however, according to the experts will be available only in years or decades. (Fp)

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