On the role of aging in cancer incidence: analysis of the skin cancer data.
Worldwide age-incidence patterns for melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and the group of all cancers except non-melanoma skin cancer from 1971 to 1976 were normalized for differences in frequency of occurrence and compared. The percentage of total cancer incidence that occurred in young subjects was greater for melanoma and less for non-melanoma skin cancer than for the group of all cancers. The risk for melanoma was apparent by age 15, much earlier than for non-melanoma skin cancer and the group of all cancers. While the risk for non-melanoma skin cancer and the group of all cancers increased continuously with advancing age, the risk for melanoma was constant beyond age 35. We conclude that risk for melanoma is unusually concentrated among the young, and, therefore, that protection from sun exposure is particularly important for this group.
Ballou
J A
JA
Department of Biology, University of Hartford, CT 06117.
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D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000254:growth & development*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*