Melanoma rates in the UK have more than tripled over the past 30 years, campaigners warn today as Britons prepare for their summer holidays.
And in that time, the number Britons in their 50s diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, has soared from 500 a year at the end of the 1970s to almost 2,000 now.
The latest available figures show that the total number of cases of malignant melanoma for all ages increased from about 12,100 in the UK in 2009 to 12,800 in 2010 – a rise of more than five per cent.
Now, Cancer Research UK has joined with supermarket giant Tesco to help raise awareness about the early signs of cancer, including skin cancer.
As well as in-store awareness campaigns, the supermarket aims to raise £10 million this year to fund 32 early diagnosis research projects across the UK.
One of the projects benefiting from the partnership is being carried out by the University of Edinburgh, which is looking at how people can recognise the signs of skin cancer earlier.
Led by Professor Jonathan Rees, the project will use web-based images to see if people can recognise abnormalities more easily.
“People’s idea of what skin cancer looks like is limited to three or four images that are widely used to promote awareness of the disease, but we don’t think this goes far enough with helping people identify the problem and going to their doctor,” he says.
“With support from Tesco, the team in Edinburgh are working to use the internet and the potential it offers to access many images. It’s a bit like bird spotting – using pictures as a guide to what malignant melanoma could look like and helping people make a better decision about seeing their doctor.”
Glenys Shankland, 57, from Derby, works as a customer assistant at Tesco and was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in November 2010.
She said: “When my husband spotted the mole on the top of my left arm that was very itchy and red, I didn’t think anymore about it. I’m fair skinned and most of my family have red hair, so I try to be careful in the sun but I do enjoy being in my garden. I’ve been sunburnt a few times over the years but I never thought it would put me at risk of skin cancer.
“Fortunately I was at the right place at the right time. We’d just moved house and I needed to register with a new GP so I mentioned the mole then. If we hadn’t moved I probably wouldn’t have gone to the doctor as I didn’t think it looked like skin cancer.”
Glenys had surgery to remove the mole and tissue from around the area to make sure none of the cancer had spread. Because it was caught early she did not need further treatment, just regular check-ups.
Sara Hiom, director of information at Cancer Research UK, said: “We know that cancer survival in the UK lags behind the best in Europe and this is likely because of a combination of many factors including late diagnosis.
“Our Spot Cancer Early campaign and partnership with Tesco are raising awareness of the difference early diagnosis can make to surviving cancer.
“Melanoma is a largely preventable disease; people can reduce their chance of developing skin cancer in the first place if they protect their skin from sunburn. But it’s also important that people are aware of the warning signs for malignant melanoma.”
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