title: 40-year trends in skin cancer in British Columbia, Canada, 1973 to 2003.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skin cancer is common in North America. Incidence rate trends are potentially important in the assessment of the effects of measures to increase sun awareness in the population as well as measures to reduce sun damage.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) in a geographically defined Canadian population over a 40-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from the BC Cancer Registry for the calendar years 1973, 1983, 1993, and 2003.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age-standardized incidence rates increased significantly from 1973 to 2003 for BCC, SCC, and CMM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ethnic makeup of British Columbia has changed over time, and a novel method of accounting for the effect of this on skin cancer rates is presented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence rate for skin cancers continued to rise in British Columbia, but there appears to have been a decline in the incidence of CMM and BCC in the youngest cohorts.
authors.affiliation: Prevention Programs and Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer Agency, BC. david.mclean@bccancer.bc.ca
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: Norm
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Youwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Tim K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*